Factories in Arkansas
Arkansas has 2,526 manufacturing establishments employing 164,240 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 1.3% of US manufacturing jobs and the 27th most of any state. The largest industries by employment are food, vehicles, aircraft and parts and machinery. We track 23 new plant projects here, 4 under construction.
- Establishments
- 2,526
- Census 2023
- Manufacturing jobs
- 164,240
- Census 2023
- In EPA records
- 1,798
- Active, ECHO
- New plants
- 23
- 4 building
- Sheet
- AR
- Revised
- November 11, 2026
What is made in Arkansas
| Industry (NAICS subsector) | Establishments | Employees | In EPA records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food 311 | 269 | 47,987 | 244 |
| Vehicles, aircraft and parts 336 | 122 | 16,342 | 107 |
| Machinery 333 | 188 | 15,798 | 92 |
| Fabricated metal products 332 | 456 | 14,426 | 199 |
| Plastics and rubber 326 | 106 | 10,968 | 113 |
| Wood products 321 | 274 | 10,412 | 219 |
| Paper 322 | 52 | 8,789 | 53 |
| Primary metals 331 | 46 | 7,426 | 84 |
| Electrical equipment and appliances 335 | 48 | 6,358 | 28 |
| Chemicals 325 | 95 | 5,166 | 179 |
| Glass, cement and stone 327 | 215 | 3,666 | 208 |
| Medical devices and other goods 339 | 156 | 2,958 | 17 |
| Computers and electronics 334 | 34 | 2,811 | 21 |
| Printing 323 | 179 | 2,671 | 24 |
| Furniture 337 | 110 | 2,562 | 33 |
| Beverages and tobacco 312 | 66 | 1,501 | 14 |
| Textile products 314 | 47 | 1,311 | 9 |
| Petroleum and coal products 324 | 30 | 1,283 | 140 |
| Leather goods 316 | 11 | 908 | 4 |
| Apparel 315 | 15 | 855 | 4 |
| Textile mills 313 | 7 | 42 | 6 |
Establishments and employees: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, mid-March employment. * Census flags this figure as having high noise. "In EPA records" counts active facilities in EPA's ECHO database, a subset that excludes plants EPA doesn't regulate.
New plants in Arkansas
| Project | Industry | Status | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock manufacturing facilityFaymonville Group, Pulaski County | Other manufacturing | Under construction | $100Mjobs not stated |
| Camden solid rocket motor 'Factories of the Future' expansionL3Harris Technologies (Aerojet Rocketdyne), Camden | Aerospace and defense | Under construction | $216Mjobs not stated |
| Berryville air separation unitMesser, Carroll County | Chemicals | Under construction | $70Mjobs not stated |
| Osceola direct reduced iron (DRI) facilityUnited States Steel Corporation, Osceola | Steel and metals | Under construction | $1.9B200 jobs |
| El Dorado Iron Mountain sawmill modernization and expansionCanfor Southern Pine (Canfor), El Dorado | Building materials | Announced | $96M75 jobs |
| Nashville (Arkansas) PVC conduit manufacturing plantCANTEX, Howard County | Plastics and packaging | Announced | —110 jobs |
| Fayetteville food manufacturing expansionConagra Brands, Washington County | Food and beverage | Announced | $220Mjobs not stated |
| Fayetteville ready-to-eat meals plant expansionConagra Brands, Inc., Fayetteville | Food and beverage | Announced | $220M100 jobs |
| Morrilton facility expansion and modernizationGreen Bay Packaging, Conway County | Paper | Announced | $1.0Bjobs not stated |
| Jonesboro frozen food plantInnovAsian, Craighead County | Food and beverage | Announced | —200 jobs |
| Batesville precision optics expansionLaCroix Precision Optics, Independence County | Electronics | Announced | —107 jobs |
| Camden missile production expansion (PAC-3, THAAD, PrSM)Lockheed Martin, Camden | Aerospace and defense | Announced | $420M650 jobs |
| Osceola steel manufacturing facilityMerrill Steel, Mississippi County | Steel and metals | Announced | —109 jobs |
| Pocahontas data center steel frame plantTate (Kingspan Group), Pocahontas | Steel and metals | Announced | —148 jobs |
| Mountain Home dialysis components plant expansionVantive, Mountain Home | Medical devices | Announced | $100M175 jobs |
| Little Rock LSAW pipe millWelspun Tubular, Pulaski County | Steel and metals | Announced | $150M300 jobs |
| Des Arc plant expansionWhite River Energetics, Prairie County | Other manufacturing | Announced | —100 jobs |
| West Memphis bottling plant expansion (new production line)Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc., West Memphis | Food and beverage | Operating | $25M19 jobs |
| Little Rock carton plantElopak, Pulaski County | Plastics and packaging | Operating | —100 jobs |
| Camden 155mm projectile load, assemble and pack (LAP) facilityGeneral Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (for U.S. Army), Camden | Aerospace and defense | Operating | $110M185 jobs |
| Springdale electronics manufacturing facilityKey Tronic Corporation, Springdale | Electronics | Operating | $28M400 jobs |
| Big River 2 (BR2) mini millUnited States Steel Corporation, Osceola | Steel and metals | Operating | $3.0B900 jobs |
| Danville feed millWayne-Sanderson Farms, Yell County | Food and beverage | Operating | $43Mjobs not stated |
Factory pages in Arkansas
28 Arkansas factories have their own page so far: the facilities that report to EPA's Toxics Release Inventory and hold the most detailed federal records. See all 28, grouped by industry.
Questions
What is made in Arkansas?
Arkansas has 2,526 manufacturing establishments employing 164,240 people (Census County Business Patterns, 2023), 1.3% of US manufacturing jobs and the 27th most of any state. The largest industries by employment are food, vehicles, aircraft and parts and machinery.
How many manufacturers are in Arkansas?
2,526 manufacturing establishments (Census, 2023). EPA's ECHO database lists 1,798 active manufacturing facilities in Arkansas that it regulates, 580 of which report to the Toxics Release Inventory.
Are new factories being built in Arkansas?
We track 23 large plant projects in Arkansas announced since 2021: 4 under construction, 13 announced, 6 operating.
Can you tour a factory in Arkansas?
Yes: Dryden Pottery Live Wheel Demonstrations, Ranger Boats Factory Tour, Rock Town Distillery Tours.