Above: Volkswagen starts U.S. assembly of all-electric ID.4 flagship in Chattanooga, Tennessee (Source: Volkswagen)
The state of Tennessee gained manufacturing jobs over the past twelve months according to data collected by MNI, compiler and publisher of industrial business profiles for the nation’s nearly 400,000 manufacturers. Between October 2021 and October 2022, the state added 5,069 jobs or 1.2%.
Tennessee is currently home to 6,109 manufacturers employing 408,131 according to MNI data.
Job gains in Tennessee’s manufacturing sector were largely driven by the transportation equipment industry, which grew by 6% over the past twelve months. Transportation equipment ranks as Tennessee’s largest industry by number of employees, accounting for 59,326 jobs.
Second-ranked fabricated metal products accounts for 43,892 jobs, up 1% over the past year. Industrial machinery ranks third, reports MNI, holding steady over the year with 36,887 jobs.
Other top industries in Tennessee include food processing, with 41,036 jobs, down 1% over the year; rubber/plastics with 37,128 jobs, down a half percent. The electronics sector employs 27,402 in Tennessee, with no significant change reported over the year, while chemicals employs 24,599, down 3.6%.
MNI’s city data reveals Nashville ranks as Tennessee’s top city by number of manufacturing jobs, home to 33,902 workers, down 1% over the year. Second-ranked Memphis accounts for 33,158 jobs, up 1.2% over the year. Chattanooga saw industrial employment rise 7.5%, and currently ranks third in the state for number of manufacturing jobs with 23,562 workers.
Other top cities include Knoxville (15,767 jobs); Smyrna (11,386 jobs) and Jackson (9,821 jobs).
For more facts and statistics on Tennessee manufacturers, see our post Top 10 Manufacturing Companies in Tennessee.
Looking to contact Tennessee manufacturing companies? Learn more about our Tennessee data for sales, marketing, business development and research here.
