NWA Named Nation’s Best Performing Large Metro

NWA Named Nation’s Best Performing Large Metro

Springdale’s metropolitan area – the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers MSA – has been ranked the #1 Best-Performing Large Metro in the United States for 2026 after consistently placing in the top 15 large cities every year since 2021.

The 2026 index and rankings are primarily based on data from 2024 with short-term job growth measured from July 2024 to July 2025. In 2024, U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 2.8 percent. Despite this growth, cooling national labor market conditions have affected employment across the US.

“What a glowing endorsement for this wonderful place we call home,” said Chamber president Bill Rogers. “To be ranked No. 1 nationally and to do so based on the foundation of all that we do — creating jobs for our residents — is truly gratifying.”

The Index, published annually since 1999, reflects cities’ and metro areas’ effectiveness at leveraging their resources to promote economic growth and provide their residents with access to the essential services and infrastructure needed for success. Its components include job creation, wage growth, and the high-tech sector’s output growth. Since 2021, the Index also includes measures of housing affordability and broadband access that reflect access to economic opportunities of cities’ residents.

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