Arcot is a town and urban area of Ranipet district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Located on the southern banks of Palar River, the city straddles a trade route between Chennai and Bangalore or Salem. Chennai is within 120 km and the district headquarters are within 25 km.

Arcot has been developing as a commercial centre for long time as it is connected to Chennai and Vellore by the National Highways-46. 

The economy is dependent on the leather industry. The town houses leather tanning and manufacturing facilities and is a leading cluster for export of finished leather and leather-related products. Arcot is the principal market for the surrounding agricultural area. It also has a viable local weaving industry, and groundnut oil industry. Arcot is most famous for edible oil production, mainly focusing on groundnut and gingelly oil production. A number of oil expellers are available in and around Arcot. Certain caste of people are more dominant and involved in this edible oil business.

The main mode of transport is by bus since it is economical, and well connected by road. A national highway and two state highways pass through Arcot. There are frequent buses to almost all parts of Tamil Nadu. Buses depart every 15 minutes from Arcot to Chennai and there are also buses to Hosur, Bangalore, Tirupathi, Arani, Tiruvannamalai and Pondicherry. The nearest railway station is walajah Road station 6 km from the Arcot. The nearest international airports are Chennai International Airport (100 km) and Bengaluru International Airport (258 km), the nearest domestic airport is Tirupati Airport (90 km).