Benchmarking the Educational Progress of African American and Latino Students in Arkansas

The Urban League of Arkansas partnered with the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas to produce a report providing data to identify twelve key areas of need in the African American and Latino communities in Arkansas and to assist in the development of programs and policies to address them. The twelve indicators are enrollment, expenditure per student, fourth grade literacy and math achievement levels, eighth grade literacy and math achievement levels, disciplinary actions, dropout rates, graduation rates, college going rates, educational attainment for the population over the age of 25, and median income. Data for each of these indicators was collected for whites, African Americans, and Latinos. The data collected for this report is extracted from the Arkansas Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau. Data for each of the twelve indicators was collected for ten municipalities of interest identified by the Urban League of Arkansas. These ten municipalities, highlighted in the map below, are: Bentonville, Blytheville, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Helena-West Helena, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, and West Memphis

Benchmarking the Educational Progress of African American and Latino Students in Arkansas

The Urban League of Arkansas partnered with the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas to produce a report providing data to identify twelve key areas of need in the African American and Latino communities in Arkansas and to assist in the development of programs and policies to address them. The twelve indicators are enrollment, expenditure per student, fourth grade literacy and math achievement levels, eighth grade literacy and math achievement levels, disciplinary actions, dropout rates, graduation rates, college going rates, educational attainment for the population over the age of 25, and median income. Data for each of these indicators was collected for whites, African Americans, and Latinos. The data collected for this report is extracted from the Arkansas Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau. Data for each of the twelve indicators was collected for ten municipalities of interest identified by the Urban League of Arkansas. These ten municipalities, highlighted in the map below, are: Bentonville, Blytheville, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Helena-West Helena, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Texarkana, and West Memphis

Estimating the Economic and Health Benefits of Bicycling in Northwest Arkansas

Over the past year, the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas conducted an analysis of the economic and health benefits of bicycling in Northwest Arkansas. The study was commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and built on a previous study completed in 2018. The data and analysis presented in this study will inform regional and state policymakers, funders, and other community stakeholders about the overall return-on-investment from the significant investments in the bicycling ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas

State of the Northwest Arkansas Region 2017 Report

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for evaluating the economic performance of the region. In January 2015, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a new blueprint for development that outlines the peer regions and a strategic action agenda for 2015-2017. In the three-year plan, the performance of Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other contemporary, high-performing regions, namely Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh. The 2017 State of the Region Report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in the areas of gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development, homeownership costs, commuting time, and average domestic airfares. The table below provides a summary of the performance of the Northwest Arkansas region on these measures. Important indicators such as gross domestic product, employment, business establishment growth, average annual wages, and university R&D expenditures showed strong increases from the previous year, while improvements in metrics such as poverty rate and higher education attainment were more limited

State of the Northwest Arkansas Region 2018 Report

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for evaluating economic performance. In July 2018, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a new blueprint for development that outlines the peer regions and a strategic action agenda for 2018-2021. In this plan, the performance of Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other contemporary, high-performing regions, namely Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Provo-Orem. The 2018 State of the Region Report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in the areas of gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development, homeownership costs, commuting time, and average domestic airfares. The table below provides a summary of the performance of the Northwest Arkansas region on these measures. Important indicators such as gross domestic product, business establishment growth, average annual wages, and university R&D expenditures showed strong increases from the previous year, while improvements in metrics such as poverty rate and higher education attainment were more limited

Estimating the Economic and Health Benefits of Bicycling in Northwest Arkansas

Over the past year, the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas conducted an analysis of the economic and health benefits of bicycling in Northwest Arkansas. The study was commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and built on a previous study completed in 2018. The data and analysis presented in this study will inform regional and state policymakers, funders, and other community stakeholders about the overall return-on-investment from the significant investments in the bicycling ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas

Northwest Arkansas State of the Region 2022

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for evaluating economic performance. In July 2018, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a new blueprint for development in which Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other contemporary, high-performing regions, namely Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Provo-Orem. The 2022 report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development, homeownership costs, commuting time, and average domestic airfares. The following table provides a summary of the performance of the Northwest Arkansas region (Benton, Madison and Washington counties) on these measures. Important indicators such as population growth, household income and wages showed strong increases from 2019, while improvements in metrics such as higher educational attainment were more limited. The data in this report covers a time period that includes the COVID-19 pandemic, and metrics such as gross domestic product, unemployment rate and airfares reflect the impacts of the pandemic

State of the Northwest Arkansas Region 2019 Report

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for evaluating economic performance. In July 2018, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a new blueprint for development that outlines the peer regions and a strategic action agenda for 2018-2021. In this plan, the performance of Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other contemporary, high-performing regions, namely Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Provo-Orem. The 2019 State of the Region Report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in the areas of gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development, homeownership costs, commuting time, and average domestic airfares. The table below provides a summary of the performance of the Northwest Arkansas region on these measures. Important indicators such as gross domestic product, business establishment growth, average annual wages, and university R&D expenditures showed strong increases from the previous year, while improvements in metrics such as poverty rate and higher education attainment were more limited

Northwest Arkansas State of the Region Report 2021

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for evaluating economic performance. In 2018, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a strategic action agenda for 2018-2021. In this plan, the performance of Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other contemporary, high-performing regions: Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Provo-Orem. The 2021 State of the Region Report compares Northwest Arkansas with these regions in the areas of gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, average annual wages, research and development, and average domestic airfares. The 2020 Census was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result, updated data for the following indicators is not available: median household income, poverty, educational attainment, homeownership costs and commuting time

Northwest Arkansas State of the Region 2023

The State of the Northwest Arkansas Region Report is an annual publication, commissioned by the Northwest Arkansas Council, that serves as a tool for measuring economic performance. In July 2018, the Northwest Arkansas Council created a new blueprint for development in which Northwest Arkansas is benchmarked with other high-performing regions, namely Austin, Des Moines, Madison, Durham-Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Provo-Orem. The 2023 report compares Northwest Arkansas with these geographies in gross domestic product, employment, unemployment, establishment growth, median household income, average annual wages, poverty, educational attainment, research and development spending, homeownership costs, commuting time and average domestic airfares. The following table provides a summary of the performance of the Northwest Arkansas region (Benton, Madison, and Washington counties) on these measures. Important indicators such as population growth, household income and wages showed strong increases from 2020, while improvements in metrics such as higher education attainment were more limited. The data in this report covers a time period that includes the COVID-19 pandemic, and metrics such as the gross domestic product, unemployment rate and airfares reflect the impacts of the pandemic