Labor Market Pulse · Finance · September 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR MSA — September 2026
Little Rock finance jobs shrink as metro labor market hits record highs.
Arkansas financial activities lost 1,200 jobs year-over-year even as statewide unemployment fell to 3.9% and metro FP&A Manager pay dropped to $120,204 against a stable $128,139 national median.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Arkansas financial activities jobs: -1,200 YoY — vs. statewide unemployment falling to 3.9%
- Pulaski County unemployment: 4.3% — vs. 3.4% Saline Co., 3.7% Faulkner Co.
- FP&A Manager advertised pay (metro): $120,204 — down significantly vs. $128,139 national, stable
- National financial activities job losses: -129,000 since May 2025 — led by insurance carriers, -90,000
Key takeaways
Local financial activities sector is shrinking while demand holds.
Arkansas financial activities lost 1,200 jobs year-over-year even as statewide unemployment fell to 3.9% and the labor force hit record highs. Fewer sector positions chasing a tighter overall labor pool may intensify retention risk for remaining Finance staff.
FP&A Manager pay is softening against a stable national trend.
Metro FP&A Manager advertised pay fell significantly to $120,204 while the national median held stable near $128,139. Divergence this sharp from national trend lines warrants a closer look at local demand before recalibrating offers downward.
Tax and credit roles are repricing upward, unlike the broader market.
Tax Specialist and Credit Analyst advertised pay both moved up significantly locally and nationally, standing out against stable trends for Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst roles. Concentrated movement in compliance-adjacent and risk roles is consistent with the national CPA shortage signal (Talent Shortage Index of 77%).
National wage deceleration offers mid-cycle budget relief.
September's 0.13% monthly gain in average hourly earnings, below economist expectations, eases pressure on salary budgets built around higher assumptions. Local Controller pay still rose significantly, suggesting this relief may not extend evenly across all Finance roles in Little Rock.
Median advertised pay by role — Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $85,161 | $111,400 | $120,029 | Significant increase | $113,754 |
| Senior Accountant | $74,613 | $81,490 | $85,000 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $73,073 | $90,000 | $106,600 | Stable | $94,782 |
| Billing Specialist | $36,452 | $41,600 | $45,760 | Stable | $49,512 |
| Tax Specialist | $35,791 | $51,121 | $59,736 | Significant increase | $65,842 |
| Credit Analyst | $47,899 | $62,514 | $64,703 | Significant increase | $71,758 |
| FP&A Manager | $96,408 | $120,204 | $126,300 | Significant decline | $128,139 |
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Little Rock metro employment climbed to historic highs in 2026, with civilian employment topping 385,000 and labor force exceeding 400,000 for the first time, even as Arkansas's financial activities sector shed 1,200 jobs year-over-year — a divergence that mirrors the national 129,000-job contraction in financial activities since May 2025. Pulaski County unemployment sits at 4.3%, slightly above the metro's tightening labor supply story, as net in-migration of young professionals fuels growth concentrated in manufacturing, logistics and trade rather than finance roles.
What it means
Sector-level contraction in financial activities, set against broad metro labor tightness and double-digit growth projected for management and technical consulting services, points to intensifying competition for Finance talent even as total headcount in the sector shrinks — a signal for workforce planning rather than pure compensation strategy. National F&A hiring intentions (74% planning headcount increases) contrast sharply with local sector job losses, suggesting Little Rock employers may need to compete harder for a shrinking qualified pool while budgeting for role-specific pay pressure in tax and credit functions. Consider reviewing headcount plans for Controller and FP&A Manager roles against local wage softening before assuming national compensation trends apply directly to this metro.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Pulaski County unemployment at 4.3% sits above several neighboring counties (Saline at 3.4%, Faulkner at 3.7%). Watch whether this gap widens, which could signal localized sorting of finance talent toward surrounding counties with tighter labor markets.
Emerging pressure point: National financial activities losses are concentrated in insurance carriers (-90,000 since May 2025); confirm whether similar sub-sector softness is emerging locally before assuming Little Rock's financial activities contraction is broad-based.
Potential inflection point: Management and technical consulting services are projected to grow nearly 28% through 2026 in Arkansas, a likely draw on the same analytical talent pool Finance teams compete for. Monitor whether this accelerates turnover among FP&A and financial analyst staff.
Expected: Indeed's Job Postings Index turned positive year-over-year nationally for the first time in nearly four years. Track whether Little Rock finance postings follow this national uptick or continue to lag, given local FP&A Manager pay softness.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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