Economy

Until about 1900 Arkansas had an economy based almost entirely on the cultivation of a single crop—cotton. Agricultural change came in the first half of the 20th century with the growing of rice and soybeans and the commercial raising of poultry and livestock. World War II caused a boom in mining, especially of bauxite, the ore of aluminum. In the postwar years manufacturing activities and service industries became the chief sources of employment. A large tourist industry also contributes substantially to the economy.

Economic growth has steadily raised the standard of living in Arkansas; however, per capita income remains relatively low by national standards.

For many years manufacturing in Arkansas consisted largely of the processing of farm commodities, forest products, and minerals. Since the mid-1950's the state has sought to attract new enterprises. By the 1980's a variety of manufacturing concerns had been established. In the early 1990's manufacturing employed about a fifth of the state's workers.

Food processing has long been the state's largest manufacturing industry. Major products include processed poultry, milled rice, and canned vegetables. Other important manufacturing industries produce electrical appliances, electronic devices, machinery, construction materials, paper and paper goods, and plastic and rubber products.

Little Rock and adjoining North Little Rock are two of the state's chief manufacturing centers.

Roughly 40 per cent of the land in Arkansas is used for agriculture. Livestock and livestock products are the main sources of farm income.

The growing of commercial crops is most heavily concentrated on the Mississippi lowlands and in the Arkansas River valley. Here, large mechanized farms produce the major share of the state's chief crops—rice, soybeans, and cotton. Arkansas leads the nation in rice output and is a top producer of cotton. In addition, the state's mild climate is well suited to the growing of a great variety of other middle-latitude crops. There is a considerable amount of land in wheat, corn, hay, and vegetables.

Dairying and the raising of beef cattle and hogs are widespread activities, particularly in the upland areas. An Arkansas specialty is the raising of poultry, especially broilers. In broiler production Arkansas usually ranks first among the states. The poultry industry is concentrated in the west.

The chief mineral produced is natural gas, which comes mainly from fields in southern Arkansas. These fields also produce petroleum. Arkansas is also one of the world's largest producer of bromine, which is mined and processed in the southwestern part of the state. Quartz, sand and gravel, gypsum, and clays are also mined.

Arkansas' forests provide wood for several manufacturing industries. Most of the forested land is privately owned. Large-scale commercial forestry is carried on mainly south of the Arkansas River in the southwestern part of the state, where many tree farms raise fast-growing species of pine. Hardwoods come mainly from forests in the eastern part of the state.

Arkansas is served by several major railways. Two Interstate highway routes meet at Little Rock; a third crosses the easternmost corner of the state.

Except in the more mountainous areas, Arkansas is well served by highways.

The Mississippi is navigable by barge along its entire length at the eastern edge of Arkansas. A huge federal project completed in the 1970's has made the Arkansas River navigable by barges from Oklahoma to the Mississippi.

Adams Field, in Little Rock, is the state's principal airport.