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News Release Information

25-1398-ATL
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

County Employment and Wages in Tennessee — First Quarter 2025

Employment decreased in 2 of the 6 largest counties in Tennessee from March 2024 to March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Shelby County had the larger over-the-year decrease in employment, with a loss of 2.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Knox had the largest over-the-year increase in employment (+1.0 percent).


Among the six largest counties in Tennessee, employment was highest in Davidson (548,000) in March 2025. Together, the six largest counties accounted for 55.3 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

Large county average weekly wages in the first quarter 2025

All six large Tennessee counties reported average weekly wage increases over the year. (See chart 2.) Williamson had the largest increase (+4.8 percent). Over-the-year wage gains among Tennessee's other five large counties ranged from 4.2 percent to 2.4 percent.


Weekly wages in 2 of the 6 largest counties in Tennessee were above the national average of $1,589. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,868 in Williamson to $1,262 in Rutherford.

Smaller county average weekly wages in the first quarter of 2025

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 89 small counties in Tennessee, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in 87 of the 89 smaller counties were below the national average. Roane reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,650). Hancock reported the lowest average weekly wage ($703) in the state.

Among all 95 Tennessee counties, 14 reported average weekly wages of less than $850, 19 had wages from $850 to $949, 29 had wages from $950 to $1,049, 14 had wages from $1,050 to $1,149, and 19 had average weekly wages of $1,150 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

Map 1. Average weekly wages by county in Tennessee, first quarter 2025

(U.S. average = $1,589)

Additional statistics and other information

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages news release for second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

County Changes for the 2025 County Employment and Wages News Releases

Counties with annual average employment of 75,000 or more in 2024 are included in this release and will be included in future 2025 releases. Four counties have been added to the nationwide publication tables: Pinal, AZ; Henry, GA; Wood, OH; and Comal, TX. One county has been dropped from the publication tables: Gregg, TX.

Table 1. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and the six largest counties in Tennessee, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands)
Percent change,
March
2024–25 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)
First quarter
2025 ($)
National ranking
by level (3)
Percent change,
first quarter
2024–25 (2)
National ranking
by percent change (3)

United States (4)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 -- 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Tennessee

221.0 3,251.5 -0.4 -- 1,364 26 4.0 19

Davidson

33.1 548.0 0.1 209 1,702 57 4.2 101

Hamilton

13.1 219.2 -0.4 278 1,329 195 3.9 121

Knox

16.7 261.3 1.0 82 1,278 223 2.4 257

Rutherford

8.5 148.2 0.0 222 1,262 237 4.0 110

Shelby

23.1 472.2 -2.2 360 1,410 147 2.8 228

Williamson

14.0 148.6 0.7 127 1,868 37 4.8 67

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Percent changes were computed from employment and pay data adjusted for noneconomic county reclassifications.
(3) Ranking does not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(4) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 2. Covered establishments, employment, and wages in the United States and all counties in Tennessee, first quarter 2025
Area Establishments Employment March 2025 Average weekly wage ($) (1)

United States (2)

12,249,320 154,523,785 1,589

Tennessee

221,000 3,251,525 1,364

Anderson

1,993 45,273 1,590

Bedford

1,044 17,210 1,024

Benton

364 4,404 870

Bledsoe

183 2,494 950

Blount

3,331 56,551 1,206

Bradley

2,434 40,357 1,084

Campbell

723 8,989 842

Cannon

294 2,281 917

Carroll

536 7,497 1,024

Carter

834 12,591 962

Cheatham

949 9,673 1,172

Chester

308 3,894 822

Claiborne

575 8,599 908

Clay

143 1,355 769

Cocke

559 7,373 890

Coffee

1,550 26,190 1,154

Crockett

301 3,908 1,029

Cumberland

1,530 19,177 888

Davidson

33,059 547,995 1,702

Decatur

298 3,377 933

De Kalb

444 5,176 931

Dickson

1,378 18,727 992

Dyer

859 16,655 1,092

Fayette

802 8,497 1,275

Fentress

390 5,993 825

Franklin

967 11,302 1,013

Gibson

1,095 16,364 939

Giles

701 9,687 1,007

Grainger

370 4,099 1,050

Greene

1,510 25,031 993

Grundy

236 1,984 710

Hamblen

1,528 32,856 989

Hamilton

13,074 219,179 1,329

Hancock

106 1,022 703

Hardeman

371 6,430 1,004

Hardin

612 8,404 1,057

Hawkins

830 12,425 1,091

Haywood

415 7,083 1,313

Henderson

592 8,238 907

Henry

803 11,779 899

Hickman

400 4,056 1,028

Houston

142 1,445 811

Humphreys

398 5,833 1,152

Jackson

212 1,485 906

Jefferson

1,011 14,031 1,035

Johnson

351 4,168 1,020

Knox

16,667 261,314 1,278

Lake

116 1,479 1,004

Lauderdale

352 6,215 973

Lawrence

914 11,709 883

Lewis

277 3,284 840

Lincoln

764 9,926 964

Loudon

1,441 17,467 1,066

McMinn

1,065 17,124 1,022

McNairy

543 5,657 882

Macon

403 5,350 1,060

Madison

2,899 60,714 1,128

Marion

587 8,350 1,003

Marshall

734 9,766 1,078

Maury

3,060 41,954 1,363

Meigs

164 1,964 1,034

Monroe

918 14,736 973

Montgomery

4,650 65,444 1,055

Moore

91 2,421 1,126

Morgan

238 3,087 951

Obion

710 11,713 927

Overton

443 5,777 999

Perry

165 1,739 869

Pickett

112 877 746

Polk

335 2,641 831

Putnam

2,468 39,774 988

Rhea

617 12,300 1,019

Roane

1,014 19,842 1,650

Robertson

1,620 22,913 1,052

Rutherford

8,458 148,204 1,262

Scott

463 5,874 796

Sequatchie

312 3,564 809

Sevier

3,459 52,248 829

Shelby

23,087 472,239 1,410

Smith

395 5,012 999

Stewart

255 2,904 1,245

Sullivan

4,084 70,917 1,325

Sumner

5,379 61,801 1,157

Tipton

937 11,806 956

Trousdale

172 2,141 1,049

Unicoi

324 4,802 1,207

Union

293 2,694 903

Van Buren

85 879 745

Warren

966 12,998 972

Washington

3,701 63,105 1,125

Wayne

286 4,054 871

Weakley

657 10,765 858

White

562 7,115 861

Williamson

13,990 148,601 1,868

Wilson

4,593 63,940 1,148

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Note: Data are preliminary. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

Table 3. Covered establishments, employment, and wages by state, first quarter 2025
State Establishments,
first quarter
(thousands)
Employment Average weekly wage (1)
March 2025
(thousands)
Percent change,
March
2024–25
First quarter
2025 ($)
National ranking
by level
Percent change,
first quarter
2024–25
National ranking
by percent change

United States (2)

12,249.3 154,523.8 0.4 1,589 -- 4.1 --

Alabama

163.3 2,102.3 0.3 1,245 39 3.8 23

Alaska

25.3 323.5 1.3 1,452 20 5.8 4

Arizona

226.1 3,259.3 0.3 1,431 21 3.8 23

Arkansas

107.6 1,304.4 0.7 1,236 40 5.6 6

California

1,945.4 18,066.2 0.1 1,905 6 4.2 13

Colorado

242.4 2,862.7 0.1 1,681 8 4.2 13

Connecticut

148.5 1,671.7 0.5 1,980 4 3.8 23

Delaware

45.4 474.3 0.8 1,535 15 3.4 30

District of Columbia

51.5 748.9 -1.4 2,606 1 7.2 1

Florida

886.5 9,958.4 0.9 1,456 19 5.1 8

Georgia

394.8 4,860.7 0.4 1,491 17 3.4 30

Hawaii

60.3 644.8 0.6 1,363 27 6.7 2

Idaho

102.7 848.2 1.2 1,178 48 4.2 13

Illinois

407.1 5,988.9 0.2 1,662 9 3.2 38

Indiana

194.8 3,161.4 0.3 1,323 30 4.2 13

Iowa

111.3 1,537.7 -0.5 1,253 36 3.2 38

Kansas

104.3 1,428.0 0.8 1,246 38 4.0 19

Kentucky

159.6 1,986.3 0.0 1,213 44 2.4 51

Louisiana

157.0 1,921.2 0.5 1,227 42 2.8 49

Maine

66.6 629.6 0.1 1,283 34 2.7 50

Maryland

197.7 2,739.0 -0.2 1,634 10 3.2 38

Massachusetts

289.8 3,575.8 -0.7 2,107 3 4.6 11

Michigan

307.3 4,337.3 -0.3 1,391 24 2.9 48

Minnesota

211.8 2,878.6 -0.1 1,570 14 3.7 27

Mississippi

91.3 1,160.4 -0.4 1,018 51 4.1 17

Missouri

252.4 2,886.9 0.1 1,310 31 3.2 38

Montana

67.1 505.8 0.6 1,189 46 5.6 6

Nebraska

78.6 1,008.4 -0.1 1,231 41 3.1 42

Nevada

106.1 1,541.2 0.2 1,359 29 4.1 17

New Hampshire

66.3 681.0 0.1 1,606 11 4.8 9

New Jersey

338.9 4,259.0 1.1 1,815 7 3.0 44

New Mexico

66.8 868.2 0.3 1,203 45 3.9 22

New York

716.1 9,757.0 1.4 2,213 2 6.2 3

North Carolina

373.2 4,888.5 0.2 1,467 18 4.8 9

North Dakota

36.4 422.8 0.6 1,302 33 3.3 34

Ohio

344.2 5,466.8 0.2 1,361 28 3.5 28

Oklahoma

130.9 1,700.2 0.5 1,186 47 3.0 44

Oregon

186.2 1,965.7 -0.8 1,420 23 3.3 34

Pennsylvania

394.5 6,003.5 0.6 1,500 16 3.5 28

Rhode Island

49.0 489.3 1.0 1,429 22 3.0 44

South Carolina

198.7 2,304.9 1.7 1,247 37 4.4 12

South Dakota

40.5 450.5 0.2 1,163 49 3.0 44

Tennessee

221.0 3,251.5 -0.4 1,364 26 4.0 19

Texas

847.6 14,015.9 1.2 1,587 13 3.1 42

Utah

138.1 1,720.5 1.1 1,365 25 4.0 19

Vermont

33.5 306.8 -0.4 1,280 35 3.8 23

Virginia

321.9 4,108.8 0.8 1,605 12 3.4 30

Washington

240.9 3,583.7 0.9 1,935 5 5.8 4

West Virginia

61.9 694.6 0.0 1,149 50 3.3 34

Wisconsin

208.9 2,898.4 -0.2 1,305 32 3.4 30

Wyoming

31.0 274.6 0.0 1,216 43 3.3 34

Puerto Rico

52.0 946.1 -0.7 699 (3) 3.2 (3)

Virgin Islands

2.9 33.8 -7.5 1,034 (3) 2.7 (3)

Footnotes:
(1) Average weekly wages were calculated using unrounded data.
(2) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
(3) Data not included in the national ranking.

Note: Data are preliminary. Dashes indicate data not applicable or available. Covered employment and wages include workers covered by Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) programs.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, September 16, 2025