Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
Little Rock, AR Average Salary 2026
Cost of living, occupation-by-occupation pay, and percentile ranges from official BLS data.
The average salary in Little Rock, AR, Arkansas is $86,488 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data (2025 reference period) covering 63 occupations and roughly 69,650 workers. Adjusted for Little Rock, AR's cost-of-living index of 88.2, that nominal average translates to $98,059 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro. The highest-paying tracked occupation is Family Medicine Physician at $205,910; the lowest is Automotive Technician at $46,130.
Little Rock, AR, AR has below-baseline cost-of-living (index 88.2), which means the $86,488 average median wage translates to higher real purchasing power than the same number would in higher-COL markets.
Highest-paying role in Little Rock, AR on BLS data is Family Medicine Physician at $205,910 median. Top-paying roles in any U.S. city skew toward physicians, executives, tech specialists, and licensed professionals; the specific ranking varies with the local industry mix. Lower-COL cities like Little Rock, AR often outperform higher-COL ones on cost-adjusted real income for the same role, especially for workers in mid-paying occupations whose gross wages do not vary as much by city.
Salaries by Occupation in Little Rock, AR
| Role | Category | Median | Range (10th–90th) | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $205,910 | $124,010 – $390,000 | 0 |
| Dentist | Healthcare | $172,250 | $100,460 – $280,340 | 240 |
| Pharmacist | Healthcare | $136,700 | $94,120 – $166,570 | 1,020 |
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $129,700 | $79,860 – $218,510 | 1,290 |
| Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $126,680 | $100,540 – $215,290 | 1,360 |
| Computer Network Architect | Technology | $124,820 | $81,990 – $166,410 | 330 |
| Financial Manager | Finance | $119,360 | $64,300 – $224,620 | 2,320 |
| Optometrist | Healthcare | $114,360 | $68,770 – $173,910 | 70 |
| Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $109,110 | $49,970 – $145,970 | 340 |
| Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $108,700 | $76,150 – $141,390 | 370 |
| Veterinarian | Healthcare | $107,330 | $38,000 – $148,520 | 120 |
| Marketing Manager | Management | $105,050 | $67,340 – $211,870 | 440 |
| Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $104,680 | $65,160 – $137,620 | 760 |
| Software Developer | Technology | $104,070 | $61,990 – $154,030 | 1,590 |
| Data Scientist | Technology | $103,510 | $67,490 – $129,400 | 130 |
| Human Resources Manager | Management | $103,060 | $61,170 – $188,180 | 400 |
| Sales Manager | Management | $102,300 | $50,180 – $216,940 | 1,060 |
| Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $101,590 | $70,480 – $142,800 | 360 |
| Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $101,280 | $62,910 – $163,340 | 2,630 |
| Statistician | Technology | $100,620 | $72,500 – $161,810 | 110 |
| Computer Programmer | Technology | $100,070 | $62,820 – $134,750 | 350 |
| Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $99,940 | $73,640 – $126,480 | 1,040 |
| Audiologist | Healthcare | $98,120 | $81,950 – $134,040 | 40 |
| Lawyer | Legal | $97,870 | $47,280 – $184,150 | 1,670 |
| Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $94,370 | $37,690 – $213,030 | 540 |
| Information Security Analyst | Technology | $94,070 | $59,410 – $134,410 | 460 |
| Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $93,800 | $58,620 – $135,030 | 330 |
| Database Architect | Technology | $89,990 | $63,330 – $130,840 | 210 |
| Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $89,160 | $83,200 – $96,230 | 490 |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $88,610 | $47,720 – $132,620 | 450 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $86,380 | $62,880 – $134,060 | 810 |
| Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $83,530 | $43,750 – $148,210 | 200 |
| Network Architect | Technology | $83,090 | $58,270 – $132,730 | 530 |
| Civil Engineer | Engineering | $83,030 | $57,550 – $138,030 | 580 |
| Financial Analyst | Finance | $81,320 | $49,070 – $130,690 | 410 |
| Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $81,070 | $60,270 – $114,190 | 11,550 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $78,560 | $29,750 – $112,920 | 1,490 |
| General and Operations Manager | Management | $76,080 | $36,910 – $174,530 | 9,330 |
| Management Analyst | Management | $75,750 | $46,810 – $121,030 | 1,820 |
| Architect | Engineering | $75,600 | $58,930 – $107,420 | 230 |
| Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $74,870 | $35,500 – $159,700 | 80 |
| Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $72,400 | $50,410 – $108,560 | 280 |
| Pediatrician | Healthcare | $71,000 | $64,090 – $310,750 | 30 |
| Accountant | Finance | $65,810 | $46,460 – $112,870 | 2,620 |
| Market Research Analyst | Management | $62,790 | $34,170 – $127,430 | 1,400 |
| Loan Officer | Finance | $62,720 | $37,190 – $130,300 | 660 |
| Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $61,710 | $40,660 – $102,540 | 330 |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $61,510 | $43,680 – $107,980 | 560 |
| Secondary School Teacher | Education | $60,480 | $49,100 – $76,740 | 2,920 |
| Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $60,160 | $48,520 – $98,250 | 100 |
| Web Designer | Technology | $60,010 | $41,850 – $162,780 | 120 |
| Elementary School Teacher | Education | $58,580 | $49,380 – $72,210 | 3,210 |
| Financial Examiner | Finance | $57,590 | $53,350 – $124,180 | 330 |
| Web Developer | Technology | $54,990 | $42,230 – $144,350 | 90 |
| Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $52,120 | $37,250 – $80,310 | 1,110 |
| Plumber | Trades | $49,190 | $35,100 – $68,540 | 890 |
| Electrician | Trades | $48,200 | $34,740 – $70,720 | 1,870 |
| Carpenter | Trades | $48,050 | $37,040 – $63,030 | 1,080 |
| Paralegal | Legal | $47,690 | $37,740 – $81,330 | 680 |
| Welder | Trades | $47,440 | $38,340 – $60,250 | 1,190 |
| Writer/Author | Creative | $47,210 | $29,180 – $79,750 | 100 |
| Graphic Designer | Creative | $46,620 | $34,790 – $72,990 | 370 |
| Automotive Technician | Trades | $46,130 | $30,770 – $78,280 | 2,160 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The single highest-paying occupation tracked in Little Rock, AR is Family Medicine Physician, with a median of $205,910 and a 90th-percentile reading of $390,000. That $265,990 spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles is typical for a role of this seniority — entry-level workers cluster near the bottom of the band, while senior specialists and managers earn at the top.
Across all 63 BLS-tracked occupations in Little Rock, AR, the average median salary is $86,488. The top five roles average $154,248 — about 1.8× the citywide average — which is the expected shape for a U.S. metro economy: a small concentration of high-skill, high-credential occupations sits well above the broader middle.
Little Rock, AR runs below the U.S. average on cost of living (index 88.2, about 12% below the national mean). Lower nominal salaries here often translate to comparable or better purchasing power than higher headline numbers in coastal hubs.
Salary Negotiation in Little Rock, AR
For salary negotiation in Little Rock, AR, the practical input is the percentile band for your role and city, not the citywide average. The OEWS publishes 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile wages for every metro and occupation; you can find your role's exact percentile in the table above and use the SalaryTruth percentile calculator to anchor your offer. Cost-of-living index 88.2 should also factor in any cross-metro comparison.
For city-vs-city moves, the right benchmark is COL-adjusted pay rather than nominal pay. Our COL-adjusted salaries guide shows the exact math; the negotiation playbook covers how to use BLS percentile bands to anchor offers.
How Little Rock, AR Salary Data Is Built
Wages on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — a federal survey of more than 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. We pull the BLS data file for Little Rock, AR, match each occupation against our role catalog, and surface percentile wages alongside employment counts. The cost-of-living index (88.2) is a composite of housing, food, transportation, and utility data from public sources, calibrated to a U.S. national average of 100. Read the full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Little Rock, AR in 2026?
The average salary in Little Rock, AR is $86,488 as of 2026, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' OEWS 2025 release covering 63 occupations. The mean (employment-weighted average) gives slightly more weight to large occupations; the median across roles is also close to $86,488. The top-paying role is Family Medicine Physician at $205,910.
Is $100,000 a good salary in Little Rock, AR?
In Little Rock, AR, $100,000 has the purchasing power of $113,379 in an average-cost U.S. metro (COL index 88.2). That is above $100K of buying power — a $100K salary stretches further in Little Rock, AR than in most U.S. metros. Compared to the city's average median of $86,488, $100K is above the typical worker.
What are the highest-paying jobs in Little Rock, AR?
The top-paying tracked occupations in Little Rock, AR are Family Medicine Physician ($205,910), Dentist ($172,250), Pharmacist ($136,700), and Computer and Information Systems Manager ($129,700). Across the top 10, median salaries range from $108,700 to $205,910. See the full ranking at /ranking/highest-paying-jobs/little-rock.
How does Little Rock, AR's cost of living affect salaries?
Little Rock, AR has a cost-of-living index of 88.2, 12% below the U.S. national average. A nominal salary of $86,488 in this metro has the equivalent purchasing power of $98,059 in an average-cost U.S. city. Housing is the dominant driver of this gap; in higher-COL markets, mortgage or rent typically eats 5–15 percentage points more of pre-tax pay than in average-cost metros.
How many people are employed in Little Rock, AR?
Across the 63 BLS-tracked occupations on this page, total employment in the Little Rock, AR metro is approximately 69,650. BLS OEWS sample-based estimates cover all major occupational categories but exclude very small or volatile fields where the sample is too thin to publish.
Where does this Little Rock, AR salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data is used by the U.S. Department of Labor for prevailing wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Little Rock, AR MSA, 2026 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2026."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 63 occupations · COL Index 88.2.