Arkansas safety and EHS managers land at an estimated median of about $80,000 a year — modest by national standards, but consistent with the state’s lower overall cost of living.
Safety and EHS managers in Arkansas earn an estimated median of about $80,000 a year, with a typical range of $62,400 to $108,000 once industry, company size, certifications and experience are factored in. The number is built from the BLS OES national median for occupational health & safety specialists (SOC 19-5011) — $83,910 as of the May 2024 release — adjusted down to reflect Arkansas’s wage level, which runs below the national average across most occupations. Arkansas’s economy leans heavily on a handful of very large employers that drive most of the state’s EHS hiring: Walmart’s corporate and distribution operations around Bentonville, Tyson Foods’ poultry and food-processing plants, and J.B. Hunt’s trucking and logistics network. Because Arkansas’s cost of living is meaningfully below the national median, an $80,000 salary here buys noticeably more than the same figure would in a higher-cost state.
Arkansas has not adopted its own OSHA State Plan, so private and public employers alike are regulated directly by federal OSHA. That means the compliance standards a safety manager works against are the standard federal 29 CFR rules, and employers can request a free consultation visit through the OSHA On-Site Consultation Program rather than going straight to a formal inspection.
Little Rock is the largest single market for EHS roles in the state; the Fayetteville/Bentonville/Rogers corridor in northwest Arkansas has grown quickly on the back of Walmart’s supplier ecosystem and logistics footprint; Fort Smith retains a manufacturing and food-processing base.
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How much does a safety manager make in Arkansas?
Arkansas safety and EHS managers earn an estimated median of about $80,000 a year, with a typical range of $62,400 to $108,000 depending on industry, employer size, certifications and experience. The figure is an estimate anchored on BLS OES data.
Does Arkansas have its own OSHA program?
No. Arkansas has not adopted an OSHA-approved State Plan, so both private and public employers are regulated directly by federal OSHA under the standard 29 CFR rules.
What industries employ the most safety managers in Arkansas?
A handful of very large employers drive most of the state’s EHS hiring: Walmart’s corporate and distribution operations around Bentonville, Tyson Foods’ poultry and food-processing plants, and J.B. Hunt’s trucking and logistics network.
How far does an Arkansas safety-manager salary go?
Arkansas’s cost of living runs meaningfully below the national median, so an $80,000 salary here typically buys more than the same figure would in a higher-cost state.
Salary figures are estimates derived from BLS national OES data scaled to state wage levels — not a guarantee or an offer. Verify current local data with BLS and employers. ← All states · Home