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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Arkansas

How to become a general contractor in Arkansas

Most general contractors in Arkansas start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

6registered apprenticeship programs$29.44median an hour in Arkansas

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In AR
6 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In AR
10 schools with programs
Compare 10 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Arkansas is $29.44 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Arkansas
  3. Run your own shop

    For a main classification you need at least 5 years of appropriate experience or a passing exam score; for a specialty, at least 1 year of experience or a passing exam score. A holder of a similar license from another state does not need to show experience.

    Issued by
    Contractors Licensing Board (Dept of Labor and Licensing)
    Arkansas contractor license
Pay once you're working

$61,230

a year is the median for general contractors in Arkansas ($29.44 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Fayetteville–Springdale$30.60
  2. Jonesboro$29.56
  3. Little Rock–North Little Rock$29.36
  4. Fort Smith$27.81
  5. Hot Springs$27.25
Arkansas median $29.44 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Arkansas?

Yes. Arkansas licenses general contractors through the Contractors Licensing Board (Dept of Labor and Licensing).1

Are general contractors in demand in Arkansas?

Projections Central expects about 630 general contractor openings a year in Arkansas through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

6 registered programs in Arkansas. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Arkansas

Sources

  1. Contractors Licensing Board (Dept of Labor and Licensing) contractor licensing (labor.arkansas.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Arkansas, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)