Arkansas, nicknamed The Natural State because of its beautiful lakes, rivers and mountains is a great place to live and work. Nursing jobs are readily available and the top three cities in Arkansas boast of good median salaries for registered nurses. The top 3 are Little Rock at $56,564, Fayetteville (near the Oklahoma and Missouri borders) at $56,347 and Ft. Smith at $56,981.
Eight of the top 25 private sector employers in Arkansas are hospitals or medical centers. UAMS Medical Center (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) employs over 10,000 health care employees of all types. Baptist Health Medical Center has 5,300 employees, while the other six top medical employers combined total 19,600 employees.
Ten Largest Arkansas Hospitals
- Baptist Health Medical Center
- Central Arkansas VA Healthcare
- Jefferson Regional Medical Center
- St Vincent Infirmary Medical Center
- Sparks Regional Medical Center
- St Edward Mercy Medical Center
- St Vincent Doctors Hospital
- University Hospital Of Arkansas
- St Bernards Medical Center
- Northwest Medical Center
Top three cities in Arkansas
Arkansas Facts and Figures
- 2012 Unemployment Rate: 7.2%
- Unemployment Rank: 24 of 50
- 2011 Per Capita Income: $34,014.00
- Per Capita Income Rank: 44 of 50
- 2011 Cost of Living Index: 90.8
- Cost of Living Rank: 4 of 50
