Arkansas by the numbers
In Arkansas, the median worker earns $41,020 a year, the typical home is worth $175,300 and carries $1,003 of property tax, and the average household pays $138 a month for electricity at 14.36¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South MISO Regulated monopoly
Energy
Arkansas benefits from a simple, low-cost generation position: the Arkansas Nuclear One station supplying steady baseload, efficient gas plants fed by nearby production, some hydro on the Arkansas and White rivers, and a share of regional coal.
The state has no renewable portfolio standard forcing early retirements, moderate storm exposure compared with the Gulf coast, and a distribution network that is inexpensive to maintain across mostly flat and moderate terrain.
Arkansas's rate rose year over year, mostly through fuel-cost recovery and moderate capital spending, but from a very low base. It remains near the bottom of the national table.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Arkansas households used 1,045 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $138. At the state median wage that is about 7 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $3.21 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Arkansas worker earned $41,020 in 2024, 17.1% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 7.93× | $36,290 |
| Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products | 6.35× | $34,040 |
| Logging Equipment Operators | 5.14× | $46,580 |
| Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood | 4.67× | $36,120 |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 4.49× | $35,580 |
Property tax
The median Arkansas homeowner pays $1,003 a year on a home worth $175,300, an effective rate of 0.57% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 74 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Arkansas run at 86.9 where the national average is 100, ranking it #51 of 51. Goods sit at 93.6, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 58.2, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $41,020 therefore buys what $47,204 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Memphis (92.2) , Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers (91.4) , Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway (89.4) , Fort Smith (85.9) , Jonesboro (85.9) .
Housing
House prices in Arkansas rose 1.1% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +87.5%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Metro areas tracked here: Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway (+1.8%) , Memphis (-0.7%) .
Who supplies the power
28 utilities report residential service in Arkansas, together serving 1.5 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Arkansas: common questions
What does it cost to live in Arkansas?
Prices overall run at 86.9 against a national average of 100, with rents at 58.2. The typical home is worth $175,300 and carries $1,003 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.57% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $138 a month at 14.36¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $41,020.
What is the property tax rate in Arkansas?
The effective rate is 0.57% of home value, from a median bill of $1,003. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 74 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Arkansas?
The median wage of $41,020 buys what $47,204 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Arkansas falls on.
Is Arkansas expensive for electricity?
It ranks #41 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 14.36¢ per kilowatt-hour, -22.1% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 33 of 51, because households there use 1,045 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Arkansas?
$41,020 across all occupations, about $19.72 an hour, covering 1,288,810 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Arkansas?
28 utilities report residential service, the largest being Entergy Arkansas LLC with 608,362 customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources