The Arkansas food and beverage industry supports a wide range of communities, from farms and rice fields to manufacturing and poultry processing. In 2022, food and beverage manufacturing employment included 28,500 workers in the sector, with food manufacturing employing 18,200 people at an average wage of $45,000. Trade also matters: Arkansas food exports rose 7.5% to $3.4B in 2022, helping link local production to national demand.
Key Takeaways
- Arkansas contributed $14.2 billion to state GDP from food/bev in 2021.
- Food and beverage manufacturing accounted for 8.5% of AR manufacturing GDP 2022.
- Poultry industry generated $12.5 billion economic impact in AR 2022.
- The Arkansas food and beverage manufacturing employment stood at 28,500 workers in 2022.
- Food manufacturing employed 18,200 people in Arkansas with average wage $45,000 in 2022.
- Beverage manufacturing jobs in Arkansas totaled 4,300 in 2022, up 3% from 2021.
- In 2022, Arkansas rice production reached 1.07 billion pounds, accounting for 49.2% of total U.S. rice production.
- Arkansas ranked first nationally in rice acreage with 1.19 million acres harvested in 2022.
- The average rice yield in Arkansas was 7,442 pounds per acre in 2022.
- Arkansas Sales of Food Manufacturing reached $28.4 billion in 2021.
- Beverage manufacturing sales in Arkansas totaled $3.2 billion in 2021.
- Arkansas poultry products sales hit $15.7 billion in 2022.
- Arkansas food exports grew 7.5% to $3.4 billion in 2022.
- Poultry exports from Arkansas reached $2.8 billion in 2022.
- Arkansas rice exports totaled 500 million pounds valued at $350 million 2022.
Arkansas food and beverage businesses drove $14.2 billion in 2021 GDP growth, led by thriving poultry and rice.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Contribution24 stats
01
Arkansas contributed $14.2 billion to state GDP from food/bev in 2021.
02
Food and beverage manufacturing accounted for 8.5% of AR manufacturing GDP 2022.
03
Poultry industry generated $12.5 billion economic impact in AR 2022.
04
Arkansas rice industry economic multiplier effect: 2.8 jobs per direct job.
05
Food processing taxes paid: $450 million to AR state/local in 2021.
06
Beverage sector contributed 1.2% to AR GDP at $1.8 billion in 2022.
07
Arkansas food supply chain supported 120,000 jobs worth $5.6 billion wages.
08
Agribusiness including food/bev added $22 billion to AR economy 2021.
09
Tyson Foods operations contributed $4.3 billion to AR GDP in 2022.
10
Arkansas catfish industry economic impact: $350 million annually.
11
Food mfg value added: $7.9 billion or 4.1% of AR GDP 2021.
12
Craft brewing economic impact: $620 million with 4,200 jobs in AR.
13
Arkansas exports of food products totaled $3.1 billion in 2022.
14
Food/bev investments attracted $1.2 billion FDI to AR in 2022.
15
Poultry multipliers generated $1.50indirect impact per $1 direct sales.
16
Arkansas dairy economic footprint: $2.1 billion including suppliers.
17
Food retail contributed $2.4 billion in taxes and wages to AR 2021.
18
Beverage distributors economic impact: $1.5 billion in AR 2022.
19
Arkansas wine industry generated $180 million economic activity 2022.
20
Food processing expansions created $850 million economic ripple 2022.
21
Arkansas food/bev R&D spending: $120 million annually.
22
Poultry processing taxes: $320 million to AR economy 2022.
23
Arkansas rice exports supported $1.4 billion economic activity.
24
Food service industry GDP share: 3.2% or $6.1 billion in AR 2021.
Interpretation
Economic Contribution Interpretation
Arkansas’s food and beverage economy is a major economic contributor, adding $14.2 billion to state GDP in 2021 and generating further ripple effects in 2022 such as a 2.8 jobs multiplier for rice and $450 million in food processing taxes paid to state and local governments.
02 · Category
Employment And Labor26 stats
01
The Arkansas food and beverage manufacturing employment stood at 28,500 workers in 2022.
02
Food manufacturing employed 18,200 people in Arkansas with average wage $45,000in 2022.
03
Beverage manufacturing jobs in Arkansas totaled 4,300 in 2022, up 3% from 2021.
04
Poultry processing employed 22,000 Arkansans in 2023.
05
12,500 workers in Arkansas rice milling and processing in 2022.
06
Food scientists and technologists numbered 850 in Arkansas food sector in 2022.
07
Arkansas had 5,200 quality control inspectors in food manufacturing in 2022.
08
3,100 packaging machine operators employed in Arkansas bev/food in 2022.
09
Labor force in Arkansas agriculture-food supply chain was 95,000 in 2021.
10
Average hourly wage for Arkansas food batchmakers was $17.50in 2022.
11
2,400 bakers and baking supervisors in Arkansas in 2022.
12
Arkansas saw 1,200 new food/bev jobs from expansions in 2022.
13
15% of Arkansas manufacturing workforce is in food/beverage sector.
14
Women comprised 42% of food manufacturing employees in Arkansas 2022.
15
950 meat processing workers trained via Arkansas programs in 2022.
16
Turnover rate in Arkansas poultry plants was 65% in 2022.
17
7,500 forklift operators in Arkansas food warehouses 2022.
18
Arkansas food sector apprenticeships enrolled 450 workers in 2022.
19
Unemployment rate for food mfg workers in AR was 3.8% in 2022.
20
1,100 butchers and meat cutters employed in AR food industry 2022.
21
Arkansas beverage sector added 300 jobs via craft breweries in 2022.
22
4,200 industrial truck drivers in AR food distribution 2022.
23
Food processing safety training reached 10,000 AR workers in 2022.
24
650 food scientists with advanced degrees in AR 2022.
25
Arkansas food mfg overtime hours averaged 5% above national in 2022.
26
2,900 first-line supervisors in AR food/bev mfg 2022.
Interpretation
Employment And Labor Interpretation
Employment across Arkansas’s food and beverage industry is sizable and rising, with beverage manufacturing reaching 4,300 jobs in 2022 up 3% from 2021, alongside large workforces in poultry processing at 22,000 in 2023 and food manufacturing employing 18,200 people with an average wage of $45,000.
03 · Category
Production And Output30 stats
01
In 2022, Arkansas rice production reached 1.07 billion pounds, accounting for 49.2% of total U.S. rice production.
02
Arkansas ranked first nationally in rice acreage with 1.19 million acres harvested in 2022.
03
The average rice yield in Arkansas was 7,442 pounds per acre in 2022.
04
Arkansas produced 1.15 billion pounds of broilers in 2021, representing 2.5% of U.S. total.
05
Tyson Foods processed over 2.2 billion pounds of chicken in Arkansas facilities in 2022.
06
Arkansas catfish production totaled 234 million pounds in 2022, second highest in the U.S.
07
Arkansas had 145,000 acres of soybeans harvested in 2022, yielding 5.2 million bushels.
08
The state produced 12.4 million gallons of milk from 47,000 dairy cows in 2022.
09
Arkansas grape production was 18,500 tons in 2021 across 1,200 acres.
10
In 2020, Arkansas commercial pecan production reached 3.5 million pounds.
11
Arkansas processed 1.2 billion pounds of tomatoes for juice in 2021.
12
The state had 2,500 acres of strawberries producing 28,000 tons in 2022.
13
Arkansas sweet potato production was 450,000 hundredweight from 4,200 acres in 2021.
14
In 2022, 850 Arkansas farms produced organic products worth $15 million.
15
Arkansas wheat production hit 28.5 million bushels from 650,000 acres in 2022.
16
The state brewed 1.2 million barrels of beer in 2022 from 25 craft breweries.
17
Arkansas distilled spirits production volume was 500,000 proof gallons in 2021.
18
Poultry processing plants in Arkansas output 40 million birds weekly in 2023.
19
Arkansas rice milling capacity exceeds 1.5 billion pounds annually.
20
The state processed 300 million pounds of frozen poultry products in 2022.
21
Arkansas beverage manufacturing output grew 5.2% to $2.1 billion in 2021.
22
120 Arkansas wineries produced 250,000 cases of wine in 2022.
23
State sorghum production was 4.2 million bushels from 120,000 acres in 2022.
24
Arkansas egg production totaled 3.8 billion eggs in 2022.
25
The food processing sector produced $12.5 billion in value added in 2021.
26
Arkansas had 15 major soft drink bottling plants producing 1 billion liters yearly.
27
Corn production in Arkansas reached 112 million bushels in 2022.
28
45 Arkansas bakeries produced 500 million pounds of baked goods annually.
29
State meat processing output was 1.8 billion pounds in 2022.
30
Arkansas dairy processing plants handled 1.1 billion pounds of milk in 2021.
Interpretation
Production And Output Interpretation
For the Production and Output angle, Arkansas is a major output powerhouse with 1.07 billion pounds of rice in 2022 and 234 million pounds of catfish in 2022, showing how concentrated and high-volume production drives its role in the nation’s food supply.
More related reading
04 · Category
Sales And Revenue25 stats
01
Arkansas Sales of Food Manufacturing reached $28.4 billion in 2021.
02
Beverage manufacturing sales in Arkansas totaled $3.2 billion in 2021.
03
Arkansas poultry products sales hit $15.7 billion in 2022.
04
Rice milling sales revenue was $2.1 billion for Arkansas in 2021.
05
Arkansas dairy product sales amounted to $1.8 billion in 2022.
06
Craft beer sales in Arkansas reached $450 million in 2022.
07
Arkansas frozen food sales totaled $4.5 billion in 2021.
08
Bakery product sales in state were $1.2 billion in 2022.
09
Arkansas meat processing sales revenue: $10.3 billion in 2021.
10
Soft drink and bottled water sales: $1.9 billion in AR 2022.
11
Arkansas wine sales from local producers: $35 million in 2022.
12
Catfish farming sales revenue reached $120 million in 2022.
13
Arkansas snack food sales: $850 million in 2021.
14
Poultry export-related sales contributed $8.2 billion in 2022.
15
Arkansas food wholesale sales volume: $22 billion in 2021.
16
Retail grocery sales in Arkansas: $18.5 billion in 2022.
17
Distilled spirits sales revenue: $250 million in AR 2022.
18
Arkansas canned food sales: $1.1 billion in 2021.
19
Prepared meal sales grew 12% to $3.4 billion in 2022.
20
Arkansas juice and nonalcoholic beverage sales: $420 million 2022.
21
Food service sales in AR restaurants: $9.2 billion in 2022.
22
Arkansas organic food retail sales: $1.3 billion in 2021.
23
Poultry further processing sales: $6.8 billion in 2022.
24
Arkansas bread and cake sales: $650 million in 2022.
25
Bottled water sales surged 8% to $310 million in AR 2022.
Interpretation
Sales And Revenue Interpretation
For the Sales And Revenue angle, Arkansas’s food and beverage sector shows broad strength with total food manufacturing at $28.4 billion in 2021 and major follow-on categories like poultry products at $15.7 billion in 2022, while craft beer adds another $450 million in 2022 and beverage manufacturing reaches $3.2 billion in 2021.
05 · Category
Trade And Exports20 stats
01
Arkansas food exports grew 7.5% to $3.4 billion in 2022.
02
Poultry exports from Arkansas reached $2.8 billion in 2022.
03
Arkansas rice exports totaled 500 million pounds valued at $350 million 2022.
04
Soybean exports from AR ports: 1.2 million metric tons in 2022.
05
Arkansas catfish exports hit $45 million primarily to Asia in 2022.
06
Food preparations exports: $420 million from Arkansas in 2021.
07
Arkansas wine exports grew 15% to $12 million in 2022.
08
Poultry meat exports to Mexico: $1.1 billion from AR 2022.
09
Arkansas bakery exports: $85 million to Canada and EU 2022.
10
Beverages non-alcoholic exports: $28 million from AR in 2022.
11
Arkansas tree nuts exports including pecans: $22 million 2022.
12
Processed fruits exports from AR: $65 million in 2021.
13
Arkansas corn exports for food use: 15 million bushels 2022.
14
Dairy product exports: $18 million from Arkansas facilities 2022.
15
Arkansas snack food exports surged 10% to $110 million 2022.
16
Beer exports from AR craft brewers: $5.2 million in 2022.
17
Poultry further processed exports: $950 million in 2022.
18
Arkansas sorghum exports: 2.8 million bushels valued at $14 million 2022.
19
Frozen poultry exports peaked at 450,000 tons from AR 2022.
20
Arkansas food prep exports to China: $75 million in 2022.
Interpretation
Trade And Exports Interpretation
In 2022, Arkansas’s trade and exports in food surged as food exports climbed 7.5% to $3.4 billion, led by major poultry exports of $2.8 billion and complemented by large rice and soybean shipments.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Arkansas Food And Beverage Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/arkansas-food-and-beverage-industry-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Arkansas Food And Beverage Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/arkansas-food-and-beverage-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Arkansas Food And Beverage Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/arkansas-food-and-beverage-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
45 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level