On the Move: New Arkansas Residents Tell Their Stories
Corporate executives and site consultants have a new reason to consider Arkansas as a business destination: Arkansas has emerged as one of the most popular relocation spots for workers and their families.
Consider the findings of United Van Lines. The global moving company recently named Arkansas the No. 4 state for inbound movers. According to United’s 2023 Annual National Movers Study, Arkansas tallied a 60.1% inbound move rate. The study factors in all moves, both inbound and outbound, to determine the rankings.
Of the folks who relocated to Arkansas, 32% said they moved for job reasons, while 20% said they moved to be closer to family. Another 16.5% moved to Arkansas to retire; and 7.2% said they moved for lifestyle reasons. The remainder said they moved for either cost-related reasons or their health.
These movers bring healthy earnings with them. Nearly 75% of the inbound movers reported annual incomes of $100,000 or more, with 40.3% reporting incomes of $150,000 or more. Another 10% reported incomes between $75,000 and $100,000.
This study is not a one-off anomaly. In 2022, the moving company known as HireAHelper named Arkansas as the No. 1 state for inbound movers in the company’s annual migration report. The following year, the firm named Arkansas as the fifth-most-popular state for inbound movers by percentage.
Many factors prompt people to pick Arkansas, but the chief reasons are economic. Job opportunities and cost of living are the most frequently cited factors. Arkansas is home to many large companies, including four Fortune 500 firms that are headquartered in the state. And with Bentonville-based Walmart issuing a return-to-office directive to its office employees nationwide, many of them will trek back to the Natural State.
Walmart is not alone. Tyson Foods, Murphy USA and J.B. Hunt call Arkansas home too, as do 19 of the INC. 5000 fastest-growing companies in America. Statistically, these firms grow faster than the national average. That means they frequently expand their workforce and recruit new talent.
Factors Driving the Movement
The state’s low cost of living is a draw. According to the U.S. government, Arkansas has the third lowest cost of living in the country. Entrepreneur magazine named Arkansas as the No. 2 most affordable state in the publication’s “Cheapest States to Live in 2023” ranking. The magazine found that the average prices for groceries, housing, utilities, transportation and health care were lower in Arkansas than nearly every other state.
Plenty of other factors motivate people to move to Arkansas. Folks seeking an active, outdoor lifestyle gravitate to the Natural State due to its abundance of state and national parks, mountains, hiking and biking trails, and watersports.
Tech workers like the fact that they can work virtually from anywhere in Arkansas, which since 2020 has become a go-to state for remote working. And because of the state’s central U.S. location, it is easy to fly to either coast or drive to places like Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Georgia and Florida.
The Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism are taking advantage of these factors by teaming up to manage a recruitment campaign called See Why Arkansas. This initiative encourages people from all over to move to Arkansas.
Early returns show that the program works. Two success stories are Amy Charpentier and the Lewis family.
‘I’m a Big Fish in a Small Pond’
Charpentier first moved to eastern Arkansas after college so that she could teach school as part of the Teach for America program. Graduate school took her to North Carolina, but she wanted to come back.
“When I moved to Little Rock, I was looking for the feel of a big city life but without all the expenses and the driving that would come with New York City or LA,” she says in a video testimonial on the Arkansas EDC website. “I live just south of downtown Little Rock and within walking distance of my house are restaurants, gift shops, all kinds of things that make it easy and accessible to go out to dinner, to see a play with friends, to see the waterfront. I pay less for my mortgage here than I would pay for rent in a bigger city.”
“I pay less for my mortgage here than I would pay for rent in a bigger city.”
— Amy Charpentier, Director of Implementation, Apptegy in Little Rock
Today, she works as director of implementation for Apptegy, a homegrown technology startup in the K-12 educational field. Apptegy announced last year that it would expand its operations in Little Rock and add 300 new jobs over the next few years.
Charpentier says that moving to Little Rock and taking a job with Apptegy was the best decision she could have made for herself and her career. “One of the things that strikes me about the opportunities that I’ve had is that it’s been so much easier to get growth opportunities here than it would be in a bigger city. I’m a big fish in a small pond, and that means I’ve been able to take on new opportunities and to grow into leadership much more quickly than my peers in bigger cities,” she said.
Jaxson and Inge Lewis moved their family from Surprise, Arizona, to Conway, Arkansas, in January of 2021 because they wanted a better way of life. “The city where we lived in Greater Phoenix was really crowded,” says Jaxson. “We would spend hours in traffic to go five miles. We wanted to get our kids back to nature — somewhere with trees and water. And with my ability to work remotely, it made sense to move to Arkansas.”
Inge says they wanted a place “where the climate is better and where the kids could go outside to play without it being 100 degrees. Here, our kids can climb trees, run around, go fishing and boating, and play sports year-round.”
Jaxson says the move has been a home run for the family. “I absolutely love it here,” he says. “We have met many people, and they are all so friendly. Random people just stop by the house and ask if they can help. Our kids have never had so many friends.”
When asked if they would do it all over again, Inge said, “I would. I absolutely love it here. It was definitely worth it.”
Jaxson adds that it is a great place for remote tech workers like himself. “I work for a technology company. The infrastructure is being built up here,” he says. “Some big companies here have great opportunities for employment. A lot of health care jobs are here; and a lot of call center companies in Arkansas need workers with technology skills. Working from home was one of my requirements. We found everything we need in Arkansas. This is our forever home now.”
Jaxson and Inge Lewis moved their family from Arizona to Arkansas for a better way of life.
Photo courtesy of Jaxson & Inge Lewis
