The bureau reported Northwest Arkansas is the 22nd fastest-growing metro in the U.S. It ranked 24th among 382 metropolitan areas last year.

As the nation’s 105th largest MSA, Northwest Arkansas’ population growth since 2010 suggests the region earlier this month slipped past No. 104 Portland, Maine, the Council’s analysis showed.

By late 2019, Northwest Arkansas should eclipse slower-growing Youngstown, Ohio; Lancaster, Pa.; Scranton, Pa.; and Modesto, Calif.

Northwest Arkansas, in fact, seems poised to move up even faster as the region’s population increase in the past two years (30.3 people per day in 2015 and 31.7 people per day in 2016) was faster than in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The region’s daily increase since April 2010 averages about 27 people.

The Council’s analysis assumes the number of people added each day to the populations of all MSAs since 2010 continues to be exactly the same in future years. It’s recalculated each year based on the most current Census Bureau estimates.

That growth has led to more construction of houses and housing complexes. Among the largest is the 308-unit Uptown Fayetteville Apartments + Shops that going up in a northern area of the city. The mixed-use development, which has a large section of apartment units on the south end that area already being occupied, will include 17,000 square feet of retail space.

Remarkable job opportunities and quality of life amenities play important role in the region’s growth, making the region more attractive to people relocating to Northwest Arkansas.

Northwest Arkansas is known nationally as the home to three Fortune 500 companies (Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt), but many other Fortune 500 companies have employees based on the region to do business with Walmart. The Walmart suppliers with offices in the region include Procter & Gamble, Mondelez International, 3M, General Mills, Disney, Coca-Cola, Kimberly Clark, Johnson & Johnson, Hershey and more than 1,400 other companies.

The University of Arkansas, which has significantly increased its enrollment in recent years, helps fuel the region's growth, too.

Northwest Arkansas has benefitted from upgrades to its healthcare systems, investing $500 million into those improvements at Mercy Northwest Arkansas and Washington Regional Medical Center. As part of that investment, Arkansas Children’s Northwest, the state's second children's hospital, is under construction in Springdale.

Quality of life investments over the past decade are making the region more attractive to those considering relocating from elsewhere for job opportunities in Northwest Arkansas. Those investments include Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Walmart AMP, Scott Family Amazeum, the Walton Arts Center expansion, Arvest Ballpark and the Razorback Regional Greenway.

Other information gleaned from the Census Bureau estimates includes the following: