As steel booms in Mississippi County, Arkansas, locals still struggle to get by

Between 2015 and 2023, the most recent data available, median rents here rose by nearly 30%, according to the U.S. census. The number of short-term rentals in the county has nearly tripled from May 2024 to May 2025, according to data from AirDNA, which tracks listings from Airbnb and similar services, as landlords increasingly cater to steel industry workers.

“Housing is a huge need,” said Blytheville Mayor Melisa Logan.

“I used to say a ‘housing desert,’ but now I’m in a housing crisis.”

Logan said she’s tried to find solutions to these housing woes. She said she spends time networking with developers and builders, hoping they might bring projects to Blytheville.

She’s also encouraged by steelmakers’ efforts to incentivize full-time employees to stay local. “If you trust us to come and earn your living,” Logan said, “you should trust us enough to raise your family.”

Roughly half of the county’s steelworkers live outside of Mississippi County, according to Chitwood, of the Great River Economic Development Foundation.

A new program called “Work Here, Live Here,” sponsored by Big River Steel Works, Hybar and other companies, will give steel industry workers who stay in their jobs for at least four years up to $50,000 to build or purchase new homes in the area. One hundred and sixty three have already signed up.

“You get these families in. They make the school districts better. They bring in restaurants, hotels,” said Dan Brown, vice president and chief operating officer of Big River Steel Works. “The community starts building up.”