Fayetteville tops Arkansas Tech Business Index

Fayetteville earned in November the highest rating on the Arkansas Tech Business Index for a second time, Arkansas Tech University announced Monday.

The index measures economic activity, including a labor, housing, construction and retail sales index in 17 municipalities in the state, setting the average at 100, Arkansas Tech University spokesman Sam Strasner said in a news release. Those with ratings above 100 mean the city is doing better than the state average in those economic areas from 2009 to the present.

Fayetteville gained 1.21 points and earned a rating of 106.16 in November for advances in the labor market, construction permits and retail, according to Marc Fusaro, associate professor of economics and developer of the Arkansas Tech Business Index.

Fort Smith, which held the highest rating for the first seven months in 2014, finished second in November with a rating of 105.58, Strasner said.

Other cities with ratings above 100 for November included Rogers, Conway, Van Buren, Springdale, Bentonville, Searcy, Jonesboro and Hot Springs.

Those rating below the state average included Russellville, Little Rock, Texarkana, El Dorado, West Memphis, North Little Rock and Pine Bluff.

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