Northwest Arkansas stood out in Forbes annual review of America's Best Mid-Sized Employers List with three companies landing in the top 500.

• Simmons Foods is the highest ranking company in Arkansas at 57th overall. Located in Siloam Springs, Simmons Foods has over 7,000 employees and focuses on pet foods, animal nutrition, and prepackaged and pre-labeled foods.
• The University of Arkansas was listed in the rankings at 373rd. With 17,000+ employees, this was the only educational organization listed in Arkansas.
• Breaking the top 500 by a mere thread of a truck tire, was ArcBest located in Fort Smith. With around 13,000 employees, this long standing company focuses on trucking and freight.

Methodology? Forbes used the market research firm, Statista to compile our list by surveying 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. The final 500 midsize employers that received the most recommendations were listed HERE.