Knowledge That
Inspires

Read our reports and publications to learn more about important programs, projects, and trends in Arkansas and the region.

AEDI Projects and Publications

2023
Getting Ready For School 2023

Getting Ready for School

A comprehensive set of school readiness indicators to inform public policy for young children and their families.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for WCAPDD

WCAPDD Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

This is a document required by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to receive federal funding for economic development as well as an important document to enable regional cooperation amongst West Central Arkansas communities.

State Chamber ArkanStats

ArkanStats from the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce

A website providing curated economic development data for Arkansas covering the Economy, Infrastructure, Education & Human Capital, Quality of Life, and Demographics.

WCAPDD CEDS Data Dashboard thumbnail

West Central Arkansas Planning & Development District: CEDS Dashboard Data Explorer

A GIS-based data dashboard for the West Central Arkansas PDD. It provides geographical navigation to data profiles at the District, county, and city levels. These profiles are a key part of the District's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, also known as CEDS.

NWAEDD CEDS

Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy

The U.S. Economic Development Administration requires this document to receive federal funding for economic development as well as an important document to enable regional cooperation amongst Northwest Arkansas communities.

2022
De Queen Hotel Feasibilty Study

De Queen Hotel Feasibility Study

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) examined the feasibility of building and profitably operating a 3-Star hotel in De Queen, Arkansas.

Getting Ready For School 2022

Getting Ready for School

A comprehensive set of school readiness indicators to inform public policy for young children and their families.

2021
Getting Ready for School 2021

Getting Ready for School

A comprehensive set of school readiness indicators to inform public policy for young children and their families.

East Broadway Corridor

East Broadway Corridor and Census Tract 28

An economic assessment of the East Broadway Corridor and Census Tract 28 that can serve as a benchmark for future development efforts.

Retail Market Bryant

The Retail Market in Bryant, AR

Continued and sustained growth in virtually every retail sector made Bryant one of Arkansas's most economically dynamic cities.

2020
COVID-19 Recovery & Resiliency

Arkansas EDA COVID-19 Recovery & Resiliency initiative

This report summarizes the findings from an analysis of socioeconomic conditions in Arkansas after the first six months of the Coronavirus pandemic.

ArkLaMEC Resiliency

ArkLaMec Resiliency Project

The ArkLaMec region (five counties in Southeast Arkansas and five parishes in Northeast Louisiana) received three Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Declarations for severe storms and flooding from late 2015 through early 2016. The severe weather brought about a break in the economic supply chain in some portions of the region exceeding 45 days. Our effort was not only to historically document the events, but to also develop individual community and regional strategies to aid in community recovery; resulting in raising the level of readiness for the communities and region to respond to the next disaster.

Economic Analysis of UAFS

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is a substantial academic and economic powerhouse in its region, supporting an estimated $142.7 million economic impact to Sebastian County in 2019.

Jasper Strategic Community Plan

The Jasper, Arkansas Future Strategic Community Plan is a conclusive blueprint for addressing the land use challenges facing the city of Jasper and implementing a series of practical and commonsense recommendations designed to improve economic viability and advance the quality of life for residents.

Getting Ready for School

Arkansas’ School Readiness Indicators provide reliable measures with which the state’s families, legislative leaders, educators, and communities may continue to track and pursue strategies that will move us toward the goal of Getting Ready for School.

Thrive Hempstead Co.

Thrive Hempstead represents the collective opinion on how to revitalize the community to meet the inevitable economic and social changes that come with an uncertain future.

2019

Argenta Downtown Experience District

This report presents figures from the Argenta area and some of its entertainment drivers and shows the way in which these venues attract visitors from outside the city and central Arkansas.

United States Census 2020*

The role of the Decennial Census in the geographic distribution of federal funds through federal spending programs guided by the data collected.
*Update to 2018 release.

Who is AEDI

AEDI provides research, technical assistance, and training to support and enhance economic development and thus improve the quality of life/place throughout the State.

Red River Leadership Institute

The Red River Leadership Institute is dedicated to preparing leaders that will create real economic development opportunities for the Red River Region and beyond.

Getting Ready for School

Arkansas’ School Readiness Indicators provide reliable measures with which the state’s families, legislative leaders, educators, and communities may continue to track and pursue strategies that will move us toward the goal of Getting Ready for School.

CAPPD CEDS 2019

The Central Arkansas Planning and Development District is responsible for developing a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) that identifies economic and community development priorities for the District.

Census Data Matters: Rural America

Federal rural assistance programs use census-derived data to distribute funds through grants, loans, loan guarantees, insurance programs and direct payments to rural communities.

Yellville Action Plan

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) partnered with the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District (NWAEDD) to bring the ACCESS community development program to the city of Yellville in the NWAEDD region.

6th Annual Metropolitan Little Rock Report Card

A critical economic breakdown of key indicators for Arkansas’ Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

ArkLaMEC

Arkansas-Louisiana Multimodal Economy Corridor – Building a regional economic development program around a multimodal transportation infrastructure

2018

NWAEDD CEDS 2019-2023

NWAEDD developed a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) following new EDA 2016 guidelines that identifies economic and community development priorities for the District.

2-Year Community College Future Trends

AEDI held a presentation with stakeholders to share tools, applications and data that can be used to enhance the efforts of Arkansas’ two-year colleges.

Arkansas Trade Adjustment Assistance

This report provides a short history of the program, an overview of the program’s implementation in Arkansas, and positives and negatives associated with Trade Adjustment Assistance.

ACCESS Little River County

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute worked with Little River County residents to create a grassroots plan that will better their quality of life and become a catalyst for a sustainable economy.

5th Annual Metropolitan Report Card

A critical economic breakdown of key indicators for Arkansas’ Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Red River Army Depot

AEDI researchers utilized a RIMS II model to estimate the economic impacts of this layoff on the associated Texarkana Labor Shed.

Arkansas River Navigation Study

A feasibility study to improve Arkansas River navigation conditions while incidentally improving flood control, hydropower, recreation, and fish and wildlife.

United States Census 2020*

The role of the Decennial Census in the geographic distribution of federal funds through federal spending programs guided by the data collected.
*Updated in 2019.

Getting Ready for School

Arkansas’ School Readiness Indicators provide reliable measures with which the state’s families, legislative leaders, educators, and communities may continue to track and pursue strategies that will move us toward the goal of Getting Ready for School.

33rd Annual REMI User’s Conference

At the 33rd Annual REMI User’s Conference, AEDI staff made a presentation on the topic “Implications of a Change in Retirement Savings in Arkansas.”

Women's Foundation Arkansas

Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region and County

A report to provide relevant information to stakeholders — community organizations, businesses, foundations and government — for use in grant and policy-making that will strengthen women’s status in Arkansas.

2017

Think Big Little Rock

Think BIG Little Rock has been a year-long strategic assessment and implementation process aimed at improving the Little Rock region’s overall quality of place and making it a community in which young professionals will want to live and work.

Southwest Little Rock

The Southwest Little Rock Alliance partnered with AEDI to create a study recognizing the potential of Southwest Little Rock as a wonderful place to live, work, play, and invest.

Getting Ready for School

Arkansas’ School Readiness Indicators provide reliable measures with which the state’s families, legislative leaders, educators, and communities may continue to track and pursue strategies that will move us toward the goal of Getting Ready for School.

Socioeconomic Impact of Marijuana

In recent years, a number of states in the US have changed their laws regarding its production and consumption. This is a summary of the current legal status of marijuana and the social and financial impact on states that legalized its consumption.

Fourth Annual Metropolitan Little Rock Economic Report Card

How does the economic performance of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area compare to other Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Hempstead Hall

The purpose of this study is to inform stakeholders by using survey and ticket purchase sales information to measure economic and social contributions of Hempstead Hall in Hempstead County.

AEDI Annual Report 2017

The mission of the AEDI is to provide research and strategies to state, community, and industry leaders to promote economic growth and enhance the quality of life in Arkansas.

AR Personal Income Handbook

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates of total and per capita personal income as well as additional detail on the sources of personal income by type and major industry for Arkansas.

AR State & County Economic Data

State and County Economic Data contains various data including population, employment, personal income, etc. for all of the counties in Arkansas.

Accounting for Population Changes in Arkansas Counties

Population change on and off the state diagonal as related to per capita personal income in 2015.

Accounting for Population Changes in Arkansas’ Metropolitan Areas

This report focuses on gleaning relevant information from the components of population change about how the populations of Arkansas Cities have grown over this 6.25 year period.

The Majority Status of Arkansas’ Minority Populations

This brief report traces the changing nature of the minority status of Arkansas’ racial and Hispanic populations that have been enumerated in the U.S. Censuses since 1990.

Accounting for Population Changes in Arkansas’ Metropolitan Area Counties

This report analyzes population change within the individual counties found within Arkansas’ Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), and focuses on gleaning relevant information about how the populations of Arkansas cities has grown over this 6.25 year period.

White River Research Memorandum

This research was conducted to estimate the potential economic effects of the lack of White River navigation on the areas of Jackson, Monroe, Prairie, and Woodruff counties in Arkansas.

Go Forward Pine Bluff

The Go Forward Pine Bluff Strategic Plan is a conclusive blueprint for addressing the systemic problems facing the City of Pine Bluff.

Economic Consequences of the Earned Income Tax Credit in Arkansas

The primary purpose of this study is educational, and it strives to make readers aware of the facts, the costs, and the consequences of this type of income maintenance program for Arkansas.

Today’s Delta, Third Edition

The Delta Regional Authority works to improve regional economic growth and opportunity through strategic economic development investments in the Delta region’s communities, families, and businesses.

2016

AR Personal Income Handbook

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates of total and per capita personal income as well as additional detail on the sources of personal income by type and major industry for Arkansas.

AR State & County Economic Data

State and County Economic Data contains various data including population, employment, personal income, etc. for all of the counties in Arkansas.

Getting Ready for School

Arkansas’ School Readiness Indicators provide reliable measures with which the state’s families, legislative leaders, educators, and communities may continue to track and pursue strategies that will move us toward the goal of Getting Ready for School.