We all want to live in a great state where everyone can thrive and achieve economic prosperity. But Arkansas consistently ranks near the bottom of the states in terms of health, education, and economic security. Investing in the foundations of our communities by ensuring we have great public schools, safely maintained roads and bridges, and […]

Common-sense approach to ensuring corporations pay states the taxes they’re owed can help raise state revenue without increasing taxes on everyday families.   In 2019, the Arkansas General Assembly passed legislation that required sellers outside of Arkansas to collect and pay sales taxes on all purchases made by buyers in Arkansas. This “online sales tax” […]

Statewide, many people think of Northwest Arkansas as a place where poverty is rare, where families and communities thrive in a booming economy. But as our updated Northwest Arkansas Child Poverty report explains, thousands of families struggle to get by even as the post-recession economy has surged. The child poverty rate in the region decreased […]

The foundation for health and wealth starts at birth and influences success at every stage of life. Learn more in our latest infographic or in its parent publication “Health and Wealth in Arkansas.”

Poverty has long been known to impact health outcomes. People with greater wealth tend to live longer. They also live in safer homes and cleaner neighborhoods. They have access to healthier foods and better health care. Generally, they can avoid many of the health risks associated with poverty, like dangerous jobs and toxic stress. This […]

Across the board, black men and boys in Arkansas encounter significant barriers. They face a higher rate of infant mortality, child poverty, and incarceration than their white peers. They also have lower high-school graduation rates and family income levels. These outcomes are a result of decades of policy decisions that held back and held down black […]

This November, Arkansas voters will elect candidates to important public offices, including seats in the U.S. Congress and the Arkansas General Assembly. The winners of these elections will be in a unique position to make public policy that will impact the future well-being and success of Arkansas’s children and families. Making children our top priority […]

A productive and efficient juvenile justice system creates a stronger workforce, reduces ongoing expenses related to incarceration, and helps kids avoid pitfalls that could keep them from achieving their potential. The juvenile justice system in Arkansas is in desperate need of reform. If left untouched, it will continue to have severe consequences for the economy and […]

The Arkansas legislature has repeatedly reduced the amount of unemployment insurance available to Arkansas workers, lowering both the duration of coverage and the dollar amount of benefits. This puts us well below national averages for unemployment benefits, and puts families and our economy at risk. This might not seem like a big problem given our current […]

Our latest brief in a series of reports on child poverty in the state focuses on the prevalence of child poverty in the Northeastern corner of Arkansas. While Jonesboro is typically thought of as the economic hub of Northeast Arkansas, the labor market area for the region is made up of 11 counties: Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, […]