Finding your next role
Metro job totals describe the local economy. Explore actual opportunities to find openings that fit you.
Explore opportunities →CONNECTNWA · MARKET PULSE
A closer look at
our local economy.
Costs. Customers. Hiring. Understand the numbers behind local business decisions, then explore your community.
Official Census & BLS data · Source periods and refresh times shown below
Where do you want to explore?
Choose a card to see that community’s snapshot. Start with Northwest Arkansas for the regional view.
About the local photography
Landmark photography illustrates each community; these are archival views, not current development photos. Display crops vary with screen size.
- Crystal Bridges — Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Beaver Lake — Traveler7 · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bentonville square — Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Downtown Rogers — Law7833 · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Old Main — Alfredo Carrillo · CC BY 2.0
- Garrison Avenue — Tom Holland (Xltel) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Checking official sources…
REGIONAL VIEW
Start with the bigger picture.
See how many people live in Benton and Washington counties, alongside jobs and unemployment across the wider NWA metro.
603,767Residents · NWA core
How many people live here.
July 1, 2025 · Benton + Washington counties+13.9%Population growth · NWA core
Change since the 2020 population estimate base.
April 2020 estimate base → July 2025309,400Nonfarm jobs · NWA metro
Jobs at employers in the metro area; not a count of residents.
August 2026 · preliminary, not seasonally adjusted2.9%Unemployment · NWA metro
Share of the metro labor force looking for work.
August 2026 · preliminary, not seasonally adjustedSources & geography
Population: Benton County Census + Washington County Census. Combined growth calculated from the two counties’ 2020 estimate bases. Jobs: BLS Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers metro. County and metro boundaries differ; these measures are not the same geography.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS · CITY VIEW
Get to know Bentonville.
Explore city population, household income and the share of adults working or looking for work.
63,057City population
How many people live here.
July 1, 2025 · Census estimate+16.3%Population growth
Change since the 2020 population estimate base.
April 2020 estimate base → July 2025$112,792Median household income
The middle household income; half earn more, half earn less.
2020–2024 ACS · in 2024 dollars73.2%Civilian labor force participation
Share of people age 16+ working or looking for work.
2020–2024 ACS · residents age 16+A CONNECTION TO EXPLORE
Business owners, professionals and people building a local network. This is a ConnectNWA planning idea, not a forecast or a measure of current demand.
Tell us who you’d like to meet →Sources & geography
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts · Bentonville. City limits, not the metro area.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS · CITY VIEW
Get to know Rogers.
A quick look at the people, household income and workforce behind your local connections.
76,956City population
How many people live here.
July 1, 2025 · Census estimate+10.5%Population growth
Change since the 2020 population estimate base.
April 2020 estimate base → July 2025$86,728Median household income
The middle household income; half earn more, half earn less.
2020–2024 ACS · in 2024 dollars69.6%Civilian labor force participation
Share of people age 16+ working or looking for work.
2020–2024 ACS · residents age 16+A CONNECTION TO EXPLORE
Local services, growing businesses and cross-industry introductions. This is a ConnectNWA planning idea, not a forecast or a measure of current demand.
Tell us who you’d like to meet →Sources & geography
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts · Rogers. City limits, not the metro area.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS · CITY VIEW
Get to know Fayetteville.
Explore the city’s population and workforce before you plan your next local connection.
106,623City population
How many people live here.
July 1, 2025 · Census estimate+13.1%Population growth
Change since the 2020 population estimate base.
April 2020 estimate base → July 2025$62,695Median household income
The middle household income; half earn more, half earn less.
2020–2024 ACS · in 2024 dollars65.5%Civilian labor force participation
Share of people age 16+ working or looking for work.
2020–2024 ACS · residents age 16+A CONNECTION TO EXPLORE
Career exploration, mentorship and connections between talent and employers. This is a ConnectNWA planning idea, not a forecast or a measure of current demand.
Tell us who you’d like to meet →Sources & geography
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts · Fayetteville. City limits, not the metro area.
RIVER VALLEY · NEARBY MARKET
Explore the River Valley.
Start with Fort Smith city figures, then see the wider metro’s jobs and unemployment below.
90,855City population
How many people live here.
July 1, 2025 · Census estimate+1.9%Population growth
Change since the 2020 population estimate base.
April 2020 estimate base → July 2025$54,816Median household income
The middle household income; half earn more, half earn less.
2020–2024 ACS · in 2024 dollars61.7%Civilian labor force participation
Share of people age 16+ working or looking for work.
2020–2024 ACS · residents age 16+101,200Nonfarm jobs · Fort Smith metro
Jobs at employers in the metro area; not a count of residents.
Aug 2026 · preliminary, not seasonally adjusted3.8%Unemployment · Fort Smith metro
Share of the metro labor force looking for work.
Aug 2026 · preliminary, not seasonally adjustedA CONNECTION TO EXPLORE
Connections with a nearby River Valley community and its businesses. This is a ConnectNWA planning idea, not a forecast or a measure of current demand.
Tell us who you’d like to meet →Sources & geography
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts · Fort Smith. City limits, not the metro area.
Sources & geography
Metro workforce source: BLS Fort Smith AR–OK metro. Metro figures cover a broader area than Fort Smith city.
A useful side-by-side view.
Compare city figures side by side. Each number includes its reporting period. On a small screen, swipe across the table to see more.
SEE THE DIFFERENCE
Compare four communities.
City population estimates · July 2025
Bar lengths compare these four cities only. Growth is cumulative since the 2020 estimate base, not annual growth. Sources and reporting periods appear in the table below.
| City | Population | Growth | Median household income | Labor force participation | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentonville | 63,057 | +16.3% | $112,792 | 73.2% | 19.0 |
| Rogers | 76,956 | +10.5% | $86,728 | 69.6% | 18.2 |
| Fayetteville | 106,623 | +13.1% | $62,695 | 65.5% | 18.5 |
| Fort Smith | 90,855 | +1.9% | $54,816 | 61.7% | 16.8 |
Income and workforce figures are five-year survey estimates, not today’s wages or counts. Population growth uses the Census estimate base, which can differ from the 2020 census count. Fort Smith is a separate River Valley market.
PUT THE NUMBERS TO WORK
What brings you here?
Use the data as context, then explore a useful next step.
A LITTLE CONTEXT
What these numbers tell us.
Population growth helps frame an expanding audience. Income provides context for household purchasing power. Workforce participation describes the share of residents age 16 and older working or looking for work. Use these signals alongside conversations with local people and businesses.
Official sources are checked automatically, with at most one retrieval every six hours. Unattended daily refresh is pending reliable source access. Figures retain their own reporting periods; a refresh does not mean a new release. If a source is unavailable, the last verified values stay visible with their original date.
CONNECT WITH LOCAL TALENT →Reporting period vs. refresh date: The reporting period tells you when the number was measured. The refresh date tells you when ConnectNWA retrieved it. A fresh check does not mean the underlying Census or BLS release is new.
Why don’t the numbers all have the same date?
Census population estimates are annual. Income and participation here use the 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year estimates. BLS metro employment figures are monthly and may be revised. Compare the same measure and reporting period across communities.
Census population estimate releases ↗ · BLS NWA metro economy ↗