How Walmart Changed Northwest Arkansas: What Capitalism Can and Cannot Do

When I got to the stage of the hiring process where it was clear that it could materialize into an offer, I sat down and looked at Google Maps to figure out “now where is Arkansas?” I knew it was in the South somewhere, but being a city girl from Chicago, it wasn’t on my radar. Getting that job at Walmart to work as a Data Scientist in Northwest Arkansas really changed the trajectory of my life, and that of my family. 

I often think about how the corporate offices of the world’s largest retailer being in that quiet corner of the Ozarks changed the landscape, culture, and lives of tens of thousands of people. So I decided to explore data tied to this area. This is a look into how industry can change a place, and what a thriving business can do for an area. But it’s also a story about how legacy and unfortunate realities can impact what the change looks like and what it can feel like to individuals experiencing it.

Fresh Starts and New Directions

You may have read about my humble beginnings growing up in a majority-black neighborhood near Chicago. Well, during the time I was interviewing for Walmart I was laid off from my first data-oriented job since finishing my Masters degree. I was unclear about what direction my career would take. I was also thinking all the time about my family, whom I hadn’t really lived with since I left home for college at the age of 17, and how to help make their lives better. 

So when the offer came through, I invited my mom and sister, who would be starting high school the next year, to move down to Arkansas with me. It could be a fresh start for them. I had heard that the school system was good, so I figured my sister would have better opportunities there. And I could have family and support in a new place. The job would be much more money than I had ever made, and although I wasn’t enthusiastic about moving away from Chicago to a random town in the South, I felt that it could be a good thing for all of us.

When I moved I didn’t know much about Northwest Arkansas (NWA) or Walmart. I now know that when Walmart opened its first store in Benton County in 1962, no one could’ve guessed that it would become one of the largest retailers in the world, or that 90% of American households would live within ten miles of a Walmart store. In 1970 Benton County was the eighth most populous county in Arkansas and was over 95% white. But over the next fifty plus years, it would bring with it steady growth, good money, and a changing population.

A Place Transformed

The data show that in 1970 Benton County already stood apart from the rest of Arkansas in terms of its demographics. The county and its neighbor, Washington County, have experienced unique and sustained population growth, especially since 1990. During that time, Walmart became the number one retailer in the US, expanded its business internationally, and introduced new store formats. The corporate headquarters being based there meant that by 2023, the county would have the second largest population, just behind Pulaski County (Little Rock).

But population growth is not the only reason that this county is unique. In 2023, just 58% of the population was white, the lowest proportion in the state for counties with a population greater than 65K and excluding Jefferson County (the Blackest county in the state, containing Pine Bluff and its well-known Historically Black College/University) and Pulaski County.

Race is important to mention here because of the legacy of racial tension that marks Arkansas history (the Little Rock Nine and school integration being one example of this). The fact that Benton County was 95% white in 1970, but less than 60% in 2023 speaks to the level of change that a thriving business can bring to an area. It’s also important to mention here because race is so often tightly correlated with income. Benton County has the highest median household income in the state, despite its racial makeup. When you juxtapose it with a place like Jefferson County, which has the highest percentage of Black residents and the lowest median household income, the significance of the county’s lower white population rate and higher income begins to get a little bit clearer.

The Upside of Growth

The prosperity here meant that I got to enjoy many things that you probably wouldn’t find in the rest of the state. For example, I loved frequenting the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. It was beautiful and elegant and many a cultural event was hosted there. The Bentonville Film Festival each year was a highlight, bringing so much art, interesting speakers, and celebrities (I remember sitting in on a talk with William H. Macy one year). And the area invested heavily in things like the NWA Bike Trails, which I now know attract cyclists from all over the world.

It also meant that I got to see what growth looks like in real time. When we moved down, I considered buying instead of renting. In just four years, the cost of houses in the area I lived had jumped +2x. We saw new construction all over the place, including a newly built high school to accommodate the overflow of students (which my sister would attend). I also saw new businesses springing up, unique restaurants (one of my family’s favorite was Vietnamese street food), cool bars, and hipster-vibe coffee shops. It was so interesting seeing all the changes that were taking place. Unfortunately, from my perspective as a Black woman, all this Walmart-fueled growth did not not seem to contend with the social issues that plague the state and the country at large.

Capitalism Does Not Trump Social Issues

My family and I moved to Benton County in 2016. During that time, we simultaneously felt that we were in the protection of “the bubble”, the area surrounding Walmart Corporate, and in an alternate world where our presence and interests lacked representation and where we were occasionally reminded that we are Black and that racism still exists.

I remember driving around looking for housing and checking out the neighborhoods. We rolled into one where a series of houses had Confederate flags flying high. I was nervous and we high-tailed it out of there as quickly as possible. When I mentioned it to the recruiter that was working with me during my relocation, an Indian man with a kind demeanor, he just brushed it off – “that’s just the culture down here…it doesn’t mean anything”. I made sure not to put myself in a position to test that theory.

That time was also crazy because it was the time of the presidential elections. My sister had just started as a freshman at the brand new school that had just been built to accommodate the explosive population growth. She would come home and tell my mother and I about the challenging situations she faced. One example is how after Trump won the election kids yelled the “N” word down the hallways and on the bus.

The Missing Black Presence

And then there was just moving around our new world in general. My mom experienced an instance where some white guys in a pickup truck leered at her through their window and made monkey sounds and motions. And the more innocuous side of all of this was just going out and having to wonder,  “where are all the Black people”. I didn’t know it then, but the Black population in Benton County has consistently been around 1% since 1970. Below you can see the racial breakdown in 2023. Even as the presence of other racial groups have grown, the Black population has not.

It’s not clear to me who comprises the next big racial grouping in the chart above, OTHER. Because the white population dropped while the OTHER category skyrocketed, I wonder if this is just a reflection of people choosing to identify themselves in a different way. But, I do know first hand from working in Walmart Technology that the Asian (particularly Indian) population had a strong presence. Most of my colleagues were Indian. Another thing to note is ethnicity. This chart does not reflect it, but in 2023, the Hispanic population made up 18% of Benton County, up from 9% in 2000. So, what’s going on here? Why is it that Black people seemingly have not enjoyed the wave of development and prosperity that has grown out of the presence of a thriving corporate headquarters?

What Capitalism Can’t Do Alone

The truth is that I don’t have an answer. But, I have a theory based on how I know things have tended to operate in this country and my own experience. Benton County has not been able to get from under the weight of historical racism and exclusion in the area. Most Black professionals very likely don’t want to relocate to a town where they don’t see themselves anywhere, even if the pay is good. When you throw the micro-aggressions such as those that my family experienced on top of the underrepresentation, the Black families that do try to move in, end up leaving. Who wants to raise their children in a place where they will be racially traumatized and very likely gaslit about it in the same breath?

And then there’s Walmart. Walmart has specific corporate hiring pipelines, just like many other institutions. Being unintentional about how you hire and where you recruit means that Walmart’s employee makeup will reflect pipelines biased by the weight of historical and present exclusion of Black people in spaces that had been deemed white. In short, the company will just end up perpetuating the legacy of exclusion that has been baked into our society.

Building a Future with Support and Intention

I was shocked to see that the already small Black population in Benton County had gone down between 2000 and 2023. I guess when I think about it I am not too surprised. By that time, I too had left. Near the end of my stay in NWA, there were some people who were making strides to help Black residents feel as if there were spaces for and by us. In particular, the ladies behind Black-Owned NWA, which puts together lists of Black owned businesses and events in the area. It’s a small start, but it can go a long way to raise the quality of life of Black residents through community and social support.

We know that this country has consistently tried to exclude Black folks from wealth-making opportunities and from the American Dream. We cannot pretend that the invisible hand of the market will set past ills right in terms of access to opportunity. Goliaths like Walmart need to be intentional about this issue. And subsequently intentional about how to build community and inclusion, so that the Black families that they do recruit do not flee.

Why do I bring all this up? Because Benton County is a case study in big business bringing good jobs, wealth, and the opportunity to build a good life. I think it’s unfortunate that the largest retailer in the world hasn’t been able to open up the opportunity connected to its corporate headquarters for Black America, a group that needs all the wins we can get, to tap into.

Sources

IPUMS NHGIS https://data2.nhgis.org/main
1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2020: US Census
2010, 2023: American Community Survey