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Labor Market Pulse
Jonesboro, AR Metro Edition
Focus: FINANCE
Jonesboro Controller pay converges with national median as FP&A gap widens.
4.2%
Jonesboro unemployment rate
Up slightly vs 3.9% Arkansas statewide
$101,580 vs $128,139
FP&A Manager pay gap
Metro vs national median, gap widening
-1,200 YoY
Arkansas financial activities jobs
Sector shrinking amid record statewide employment
74%
National F&A hiring intent
Leaders planning headcount increases despite layoffs
This Month's Takeaways
FP&A Manager pay gap versus national median is widening, not narrowing.
Metro median sits at $101,580 against a stable national figure of $128,139, a 21% spread that has moved in the wrong direction this cycle. Organizations recruiting FP&A talent from outside the metro should expect this gap to surface directly in offer negotiations.
Controller pay is accelerating locally faster than the national trend.
Metro median Controller pay rose to $115,000, now essentially matching the national median of $113,754 and tagged as a significant local increase. This narrowing suggests local employers are bidding competitively for scarce senior finance leadership, a signal worth tracking against internal succession plans.
Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst pay are both moving up sharply.
Metro Tax Specialist pay rose significantly to $41,146 and Credit Analyst pay to $61,569, both well below national medians but closing ground fast. These roles sit inside the broader F&A talent shortage story — a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77% nationally — and may require more frequent benchmarking cycles than historically necessary.
Sector-level job losses mask role-level wage tightening.
Arkansas financial activities payrolls shrank by 1,200 positions year-over-year even as several finance role categories show significant local pay increases. Fewer open requisitions does not mean less competition for the candidates who remain, particularly in tax and credit functions.
Local Labor Conditions
Jonesboro's unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% in August even as nonfarm payrolls grew 600 jobs year-over-year to 64,500, a divergence that reflects labor force growth outpacing job creation rather than weakening demand. Statewide financial activities payrolls fell by 1,200 positions over the year, consistent with national financial-sector contraction, while education, health services, and trade sectors absorbed most local hiring momentum.
Leadership & Talent Implications
Local financial activities headcount is contracting even as statewide labor force participation hits record highs, meaning Finance functions competing for analytical and accounting talent face a shrinking local applicant pool from the sector itself while competing against growing professional services demand. FP&A Manager advertised pay in the metro has fallen significantly to $101,580 against a stable $128,139 national median, a gap wide enough to complicate both retention of incumbents and recruitment positioning for roles requiring multi-market mobility. Consider reviewing FP&A and controller compensation structures against the national median before assuming metro-level figures reflect sustainable market rates for roles with regional recruiting reach.
