4 NW Arkansas cities top Tech business index

Four Northwest Arkansas cities topped the Arkansas Tech Business Index in May as 16 of the 18 measured municipal economies grew, the university said Wednesday.

Bentonville scored 107.26 on the index, up from 103.54 in April. A rating above 100 indicates a city is doing better than the state average from 2009 to the present. The index gives a snapshot of economic activity of 18 Arkansas cities, encompassing labor, housing market, construction and retail sales data.

Rogers came in second, with a rating of 105.98; Fayetteville was in third with a 105.57; and Springdale came in fourth with 105.06.

Bentonville’s return to the top was its first since February 2014. Fort Smith, which rated a 103.21 in May, has fared the best 12 of the past 17 months the index was released, the university said. Bentonville has topped the index three times and Fayetteville two times.

The Tech index was created by the Arkansas Tech University College of Business and is sponsored by Arvest Bank.

Arkansas Tech Business Index ratings for May 2015

Bentonville: 107.26

Rogers: 105.98

Fayetteville: 105.57

Springdale: 105.06

Fort Smith: 103.21

Conway: 101.41

Mountain Home: 101.04

Hot Springs: 100.76

Van Buren: 100.25

Russellville: 99.95

Jonesboro: 98.71

Searcy: 98.10

West Memphis: 97.71

Texarkana: 97.25

El Dorado: 96.76

North Little Rock: 96.33

Pine Bluff: 95.19

Little Rock: 93.32

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