The Arkansas Tech Business Index, a project created by the Arkansas Tech University College of Business and sponsored by Arvest Bank, has added Benton to its tracking matrix beginning with the January 2016 ratings.
Benton made its debut on the ATBI with a rating of 104.28, making it one of 10 cities with a rating above 100 for January 2016. By bringing Benton into the mix, the ATBI now tracks 19 Arkansas municipalities on a monthly basis.
The Arkansas Tech Business Index is a comprehensive measure that provides a snapshot of economic activity around the Natural State. It encompasses a labor index, housing market index, construction index and retail sales index. The index is based around 100. A city rating above 100 indicates that the city is currently doing better than the state average from 2009 to the present.
Dr. Marc Fusaro, associate professor of economics at Arkansas Tech, is the developer of the Arkansas Tech Business Index.
Rogers holds the top spot in the January 2016 ATBI with a rating of 109.68. It marks the second consecutive month in which Rogers has been ranked No. 1.
Bentonville (2nd, 107.98), Benton (3rd, 104.28), Van Buren (4th, 103.09), Springdale (5th, 103.04), Conway (6th, 102.54), Fayetteville (7th, 102.50), Fort Smith (8th, 101.34), Searcy (9th, 100.86) and Mountain Home (10th, 100.38) also had ATBI ratings above 100 for January 2016.
North Little Rock (11th, 99.95), Little Rock (12th, 99.92), El Dorado (13th, 99.78), Hot Springs (14th, 99.65), Russellville (15th, 98.35), Jonesboro (16th, 98.01), West Memphis (17th, 97.06), Texarkana (18th, 96.98) and Pine Bluff (19th, 93.93) complete the January 2016 ATBI.
Visit www.atu.edu/atbi to access the data used to develop the ATBI.
