ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Saline County, Arkansas

FIPS 05125 · Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR · Population 127,479
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$79,046
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4%
Unemployment
4% national
$4B
GDP
29.4%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$79,046
Per Capita
$38,887
Mean Household
$95,923
Poverty Rate
8.8%
Median Income Comparison
Saline County$79,046
Arkansas$60,773
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 18.4% (23,444 residents) 55-64: 12.5% (15,885 residents) 35-54: 26.2% (33,445 residents) 18-34: 19.7% (25,062 residents) Under 18: 23.3% (29,643 residents) 40 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.3%
18-34 · 19.7%
35-54 · 26.2%
55-64 · 12.5%
65+ · 18.4%
Race & Ethnicity
White80.3%
Black or African American9.4%
Asian1%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)7.3%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.7 pts
29.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 6.3 pts
9.2%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 4.9 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
127,479
Population
63,339
Labor Force
Employed
60,658
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▲ +0.6 pts YoY
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.4%
Key Takeaways
  • Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 6.3 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$4B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Saline County, Arkansas, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
5,307 23.4%
$52,263
2Retail Trade
4,879 21.5%
$37,694
3Accommodation and Food Services
3,922 17.3%
$21,431
4Construction
2,623 11.6%
$62,431
5Manufacturing
1,468 6.5%
$63,388
6Administrative and Support and Waste Management
1,355 6.0%
$49,461
7Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
942 4.2%
$71,534
8Other Services (except Public Administration)
887 3.9%
$43,976
9Finance and Insurance
721 3.2%
$82,482
10Transportation and Warehousing
594 2.6%
$53,698
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 5,307 workers (23.4% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $52,263.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $4B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $82,482 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $21,431, a 3.8x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Waste Management and Remediation Services
4.09x
388
General Merchandise Retailers
2.67x
1,582
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
2.24x
840
Specialty Trade Contractors
2.09x
1,997
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.93x
486
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.88x
361
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
1.76x
248
Repair and Maintenance
1.72x
461
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.69x
3,785
Forestry and Logging
1.67x
14

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Accommodation & Food Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
3,785
Cluster Employment
1.69x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Waste Management and Remediation Services
4.09x 388
General Merchandise Retailers
2.67x 1,582
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
2.24x 840
Specialty Trade Contractors
2.09x 1,997
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.93x 486
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.88x 361
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
1.76x 248
Repair and Maintenance
1.72x 461
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.69x 3,785
Forestry and Logging
1.67x 14

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.19x
Management of Companies and Enterprises
90 employed
0.23x
Food Manufacturing
74 employed
0.23x
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
91 employed
0.27x
Educational Services
162 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Waste Management and Remediation Services concentrates at 4.09x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Saline County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$221,200
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,033
Rent/Mo
78.2%
Owner-Occ
5.2%
Vacancy
2.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$984/mo
1 Bedroom
$989/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,147/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,540/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,822/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,976/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.8x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
  • High home ownership: 78.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,976/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
74,392
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.1%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 64.7% of working-age population (18-64) 65% Participation
▼ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
29.4%
HS Diploma+
93.3%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
23,161/yr
University of Arkansas 7,274/yr
Arkansas State University 5,133/yr
Arkansas Tech University 3,923/yr
University of Central Arkansas 2,507/yr
University of Arkansas at Little Rock 2,279/yr
NorthWest Arkansas Community College 2,045/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
41.5%
Service
12.5%
Sales & Office
24.9%
Construction / Maint.
10.2%
Production / Transport
10.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 60,658 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 16,330 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Saline County shows meaningful potential for waste management and remediation services attraction, with a 4.09x concentration and 388 jobs in this sub-sector.

The interconnected base across waste management and remediation services, general merchandise retailers, and motor vehicle and parts dealers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

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Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Saline County, Arkansas, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Saline County, Arkansas?

127,479 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Saline County, Arkansas?

$79,046 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Saline County, Arkansas?

3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Saline County, Arkansas?

$4B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).