The local economy of Tennessee and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
3.4%
-0.1 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Cheatham County 2.9%, highest Hancock County 5.5%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,426
+4.4%vs a year ago
3,254,064 jobs at 228,118 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
41,556
-6.7%this year vs last year
Most in Knox County 5,179, Davidson County 4,982.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+42,740
+7.9 per 1,000residents
200,321 moved in and 157,581 moved out. Most newcomers came from Florida.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Tennessee gas price
$3.96
+$1.24vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Benton County $3.78, highest Lauderdale County $4.20. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Tennessee, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
150K
+1.5%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
2.97M
+4.4%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (15.3%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$175.8B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$59,170
Highest sector: Management of Companies and Enterprises $106,248.
Per employee per year
Share of Tennessee's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 265,577 | $22,607 |
| Employment Services | 149,084 | $39,949 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 130,812 | $78,482 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 118,357 | $106,248 |
| Offices of Physicians | 83,537 | $100,396 |
| General Merchandise Stores, including Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters | 58,950 | $30,006 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 57,006 | $37,988 |
| General Freight Trucking | 55,158 | $59,595 |
| Grocery Stores | 55,018 | $27,647 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 52,817 | $49,517 |
| Religious Organizations | 49,233 | $26,871 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 47,974 | $68,649 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Tennessee, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Tennessee is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Tennessee, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Tennessee was 3.4% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 3.5% a year earlier. 3,366,389 people were employed out of a labor force of 3,486,012. Among its counties, Cheatham County had the lowest rate (2.9%) and Hancock County the highest (5.5%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Tennessee was $1,426 in Q1 2026, up 4.4% from a year earlier, across 3,254,064 jobs at 228,118 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 3,217 new homes in Tennessee in August 2026 (2,722 single-family and 429 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 28,115, down 6.7% from the same months last year, and 41,556 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Knox County (5,179), Davidson County (4,982), Rutherford County (3,490) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 200,321 people moved to Tennessee and 157,581 moved away, a net gain of 42,740 (+7.9 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from Florida, California, Georgia, and most people who left went to Florida, Georgia, Texas.
Regular gasoline in Tennessee averaged $3.96 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.24 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $5.99. Among its counties, Benton County had the lowest regular price ($3.78) and Lauderdale County the highest ($4.20).
Health Care and Social Assistance (455,877 employees), Manufacturing (357,878 employees), Retail Trade (349,855 employees) were the largest sectors in Tennessee in 2023. In all, 150,129 business locations employed 2,971,417 people at an average pay of $59,170 a year.