Business Index: Pine Bluff at bottom of list

Pine Bluff rounded up the bottom of the Arkansas Tech Business Index for the second quarter.

With a rating of 92.20, it was one of several communities scoring below 100 on the scale, including Russellville (98.10), Little Rock (97.18), North Little Rock (96.08), West Memphis (94.58), El Dorado (94.04) and Texarkana (93.36), according to data compiled by the Arkansas Tech University College of Business.

Elsewhere in the state, the economies of 10 of the 17 Arkansas municipalities listed on the ATBI performed above the state average.

Fort Smith (108.76), Fayetteville (104.65), Springdale (104.25), Rogers (104.14), Bentonville (103.92), Conway (103.24), Van Buren (102.92), Searcy (101.70), Jonesboro (101.35) and Hot Springs (100.34) all topped the century mark.

The release of data for June 2014 marks the debut of Van Buren on the ATBI. It was added as the 17th city on the index in order to provide a more thorough assessment of economic activity in western Arkansas, according to an ATU news release.

“These findings regarding the significant growth and strength of the Fort Smith economy are great to see and confirm our commitment to the growth and vitality of this area,” stated Rodney Shepard, president of Arvest Bank in Fort Smith. “When you combine that with the strong showing from Van Buren and the large index increase in Fort Smith, it is apparent to us, and confirmed by our local community leaders and lenders, that the entire River Valley area is experiencing solid economic strength at this point in time.”

The ATBI is a comprehensive measure that provides a snapshot of economic activity around the state. It encompasses a labor index, housing market index, construction index and retail sales index.

The index is based around 100. A city reading above 100 indicates that the city is currently doing better than the state average from 2009 to the present.

Arvest is the presenting sponsor of the index. Visit www.atu.edu/atbi to access the data used to develop the ATBI.