Transportation, Labor, & Industry

Located approximately halfway between Canada and Mexico and approximately halfway between the Carolinas and California, Arkansas provides a valuable transportation advantage.
 
England is about a 30 minute drive from Little Rock with close access to an interstate highway system. Other transportation hubs include the Clinton National Airport, rail connections, and barge shipping on the Arkansas River. The Arkansas River has a 300 foot channel with a nine foot draft. The Port of Little Rock interconnects with 15,000 miles of inland waterways and offers a slack water harbor. The port is also a Foreign Trade Zone, allowing manufacturers to import goods duty-free.
 

In 2005, Arkansas' manufacturing sector accounted for 17.8% of the state's jobs as well as 19.5% of the gross state product. Through the years, this sector has shifted from agriculture based to light manufacturing to more sophisticated processes and products such as plastics, transportation equipment and primary fabricated metals. As a result, in 2005, the average hourly earnings of production workers was $13.71 or 83% of the national average of $16.56.
 

Arkansas is also a "Right TO Work" state as guaranteed by the Arkansas Constitution. Because the state has experienced steady growth in technology employment, several Arkansas universities have developed new degree programs that provide skilled workers for these emerging industries.