Data releases from federal economic bureaus in the past year provide further evidence the adage '"Thank God for Mississippi" is a fable ("We're Not 49th," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Aug. 5, 2024).

Three consecutive U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) quarterly releases show Arkansas placing first (third- and fourth-quarter 2024) and fifth (first-quarter 2025) among 50 states in real (inflation-adjusted) state Gross Domestic Product. Arkansas ranked fifth overall in the nation in 2024 in the metric, which is "the state by state counterpart of the nation's GDP," the BEA's "featured and most comprehensive measure of U.S. economic activity."

Top 10 rankings are a country mile from past showings of 48th or 49th among 50 states.

Arkansas' latest Top 10 finish occurred against the backdrop of a U.S. economy showing some weakness in the first........

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