Arkansas is America's Most Improved State in 2026 as workers move to Walmart's home for low costs, high quality of life

As fully remote workers based in Utah, Kevin and Janeen Seguin had every option in the world when they felt it was time to move. Attracted by low costs and what they felt was a high quality of life, they chose Arkansas.

Courtesy: Kevin and Janeen Seguin

Kevin and Janeen Seguin decided it was time for a change of scene. And as fully remote workers for Utah-based Intermountain Health, they had every option in the world.

"We both lived in Utah our entire lives," Kevin said. "I'm nearing retirement, and so we just started exploring different states to see what they had to offer."

"We wanted somewhere warm," Janeen said. "We still wanted all of the seasons. We just wanted some place that didn't have the severe winters that Utah has."

There were other considerations, of course. The Seguins have a teenage daughter, so the school situation was important. And there were financial concerns.

"I knew there were better states to retire in that were more financially friendly — as far as taxes were concerned, Social Security tax, income tax — that would be a little more feasible to retire in," Kevin said. "So, that was kind of at the top of our list."

And, said Janeen, "the cost of living in Utah keeps going up."

The Seguins said they briefly considered Texas, but they wanted someplace greener. Finally, after a search that lasted about a year, they landed in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, near Bentonville, in March.

"We just kind of went through an analytical list, and this is where we decided to call home, Northwest Arkansas," Kevin said.

They are not alone. Arkansas is America's Most Improved State in CNBC's annual America's Top States for Business study, jumping 13 spots to 28th place in 2026. And it has everything to do with couples like the Seguins.

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"I have people that have come from all over the United States, Canada, Mexico; I have people come from Europe," said realtor Anthony Mosley of Real Broker NWA, who helped the Seguins with their search.

He said many are being transferred to the area by major employers including Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt Transport Services, all based in Northwest Arkansas. Others, like the Seguins, have the choice to live anywhere and are choosing Arkansas.

"A lot of my clients are telling me that they're coming here because it's centrally located," Mosley said.

Why Arkansas is attracting working families

If the Seguins stay in Arkansas and retire there, they will indeed do somewhat better financially than they would have in Utah. Utah's individual income tax rate is 4.45%, while Arkansas' tops out at 3.7%. Both states tax pension benefits, but in Arkansas, the first $6,000 is exempt. Utah taxes Social Security benefits as regular income, offering a partial credit to offset them. In Arkansas, Social Security payments are tax-free.

They are also getting the cost of living relief they sought, though the boom in Northwest Arkansas is causing prices to rise a bit. Arkansas finishes 19th in the Top States Cost of Living category in 2026 — down from 12th in 2025 — while Utah finishes 26th.

Finances aside, the Seguins say Arkansas' biggest benefit comes down to one thing.

"It's kind of all encapsulated in quality of life," Kevin said.

"We wake up to the birds and the deer, and we go to bed listening to the birds and the deer. But if we need to get some place, it's a matter of 20 minutes," Janeen said. "We're in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of everywhere."

Walmart signs on a museum building in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.

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The influx of working-age adults like the Seguins helps Arkansas climb 23 spots to No. 13 in the critical Workforce category of this year's Top States study, the third-most heavily weighted under this year's methodology, accounting for 13.8% of a state's total score. Arkansas is the fourth-best state for worker attraction, according to workforce analysis firm Lightcast, which provided data for the CNBC study.

That also helps Arkansas improve in the critical Economy category, with the state finishing in the top tier for job growth. Arkansas added nearly 16,000 jobs in 2025, while U.S. job growth largely stagnated. Arkansas jumps to 20th place in Economy, compared to 30th last year.

"I've led economic trade missions around the world to secure deals that helped further establish our state as a leader in aerospace, defense, steel, energy, and advanced manufacturing, creating thousands of high-paying jobs for Arkansans," said Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, in her State of the State address in April.

Arkansas is still far from being a Top State

But for all its improvement, Arkansas is still in the bottom half of our rankings at No. 28 overall.

The state finishes No. 36 for Technology and Innovation, ranking in the bottom ten for science research grants and for patents. It also finishes No. 36 in Education, with K-12 test scores and per-pupil spending in the bottom ten, though the state has one of the nation's most robust community college systems.

Arkansas' education shortcomings also prevent an even bigger improvement in Workforce. The state has the fourth-least educated workforce in the country — just 16.3% of working-age adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, according to the Census Bureau. And just over 4% of the Arkansas workforce is employed in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is the fourth-lowest concentration of those prized employees among the states.

A worker on a container at the Port of Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas, US, on Thursday, April 3, 2025.

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But Arkansas' worst category is Quality of Life, the Seguins' glowing reviews notwithstanding.

The state has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, according to FBI statistics.

Arkansas also does poorly on inclusiveness, with some of the weakest anti-discrimination protections in the country, according to data compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Gov. Sanders celebrates the state's near-total abortion ban, which has repeatedly landed Arkansas atop Americans United for Life's annual rankings of America's most pro-life states.

"I'm proud that for the past six years, Arkansas has ranked number one in the nation – not just in protecting the unborn, but in preserving life from conception to natural conclusion," Sanders said in October.

But with studies showing that abortion bans are increasingly causing workers to leave states that have instituted them, the measures count against the states in CNBC's rankings.

Arkansas is among America's least healthy states

(L) Shonda Grappe, a pediatric intensive care nurse, hands over supplies to(R) Brittany Rowell, CCRN, in the pediatric ICU at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Michael S. Williamson | The Washington Post | Getty Images

A bigger factor in Arkansas' poor Quality of Life showing is health — among the worst of any state. More people in Arkansas suffer frequent physical and mental stress than in any other state, according to the United Health Foundation. And nearly 19% of Arkansans are food insecure. That is the highest percentage in the nation.

Arkansas also finishes in the bottom ten for primary care providers, and near the bottom for dentists.

The Seguins agree that poor healthcare is one of the few drawbacks they have encountered in Arkansas.

"Their healthcare system needs to change," said Kevin, who said he has been trying for four weeks to get in to see a specialist but has been unable to get a referral.

"In Utah, we did away with referrals decades ago," he said.

"On top of that," Janeen said, "Even if we did get into a specialty doctor, they're booked up clear until almost next year."

Their realtor Mosley says Arkansas' infrastructure needs work as well. The state ranks No. 23 in the important CNBC category this year.

"Our roads and our sewers and a lot of our infrastructure needs to really catch up to the growth that is happening here," he said. "We're far behind, in my opinion."

In that respect, the Arkansas success story still leaves a lot of room for improvement.

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