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Manufacturing Compass

Tennessee manufacturing

Private-sector manufacturing (NAICS 31–33), annual average for 2022. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

01Core measures

Tennessee manufacturing in 2022

Totals and averages for all private manufacturing employers in Tennessee combined. They describe the industry statewide, not any individual plant or company.

Establishments

8,702

Worksites, annual average of quarterly counts

U.S.
380,711
Share of U.S.Calc
2.3%

Employment

364,182

Jobs, annual average of monthly counts

U.S.
12,759,129
Share of U.S.Calc
2.9%

Total wages

$25.1 billion

Nominal dollars, sum of four quarters

U.S.
$1 trillion
Share of U.S.Calc
2.5%

Average weekly wage

$1,325

Nominal dollars per job

U.S.
$1,529
vs. U.S.Calc
−13.3%

Average annual pay

$68,881

Nominal dollars per job

U.S.
$79,483
vs. U.S.Calc
−13.3%

Location quotient

1.36

Employment concentration vs. U.S.

U.S.
1.00

Manufacturing's share of all jobs in Tennessee is 1.36 times its share of all U.S. jobs.

Calcmarks our calculations from BLS figures (formulas below). All other values are published by BLS.

02Subsectors

Where manufacturing jobs are

The 21 three-digit NAICS manufacturing subsectors, largest employment first.

  • 336Transportation equipment manufacturing
    Employment
    72,892
    Establishments
    559
    Avg. annual pay
    $69,362
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −17.7%
    Location quotient
    2.03
  • 332Fabricated metal product manufacturing
    Employment
    41,841
    Establishments
    1,297
    Avg. annual pay
    $73,952
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +10.5%
    Location quotient
    1.39
  • 311Food manufacturing
    Employment
    39,425
    Establishments
    597
    Avg. annual pay
    $62,329
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +7.8%
    Location quotient
    1.11
  • 325Chemical manufacturing
    Employment
    26,499
    Establishments
    619
    Avg. annual pay
    $92,856
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −15.4%
    Location quotient
    1.41
  • 326Plastics and rubber products manufacturing
    Employment
    25,312
    Establishments
    385
    Avg. annual pay
    $59,696
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −6.8%
    Location quotient
    1.61
  • 333Machinery manufacturing
    Employment
    24,691
    Establishments
    754
    Avg. annual pay
    $65,236
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −19.4%
    Location quotient
    1.06
  • 335Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing
    Employment
    19,128
    Establishments
    268
    Avg. annual pay
    $67,782
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −12.8%
    Location quotient
    2.24
  • 339Miscellaneous manufacturing
    Employment
    17,233
    Establishments
    729
    Avg. annual pay
    $74,922
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −0.3%
    Location quotient
    1.31
  • 327Nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing
    Employment
    14,911
    Establishments
    425
    Avg. annual pay
    $68,113
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −2.0%
    Location quotient
    1.71
  • 321Wood product manufacturing
    Employment
    13,996
    Establishments
    524
    Avg. annual pay
    $58,306
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −1.5%
    Location quotient
    1.56
  • 322Paper manufacturing
    Employment
    13,326
    Establishments
    212
    Avg. annual pay
    $80,440
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +4.9%
    Location quotient
    1.75
  • 331Primary metal manufacturing
    Employment
    11,129
    Establishments
    173
    Avg. annual pay
    $78,553
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −6.1%
    Location quotient
    1.45
  • 337Furniture and related product manufacturing
    Employment
    9,468
    Establishments
    399
    Avg. annual pay
    $47,372
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −12.0%
    Location quotient
    1.19
  • 312Beverage and tobacco product manufacturing
    Employment
    9,123
    Establishments
    294
    Avg. annual pay
    $54,394
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −5.7%
    Location quotient
    1.34
  • 323Printing and related support activities
    Employment
    8,194
    Establishments
    623
    Avg. annual pay
    $55,866
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −2.5%
    Location quotient
    1.03
  • 334Computer and electronic product manufacturing
    Employment
    6,905
    Establishments
    435
    Avg. annual pay
    $80,432
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −45.2%
    Location quotient
    0.30
  • 315Apparel manufacturing
    Employment
    3,409
    Establishments
    120
    Avg. annual pay
    $47,303
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −11.5%
    Location quotient
    1.75
  • 313Textile mills
    Employment
    3,057
    Establishments
    86
    Avg. annual pay
    $56,771
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    +3.6%
    Location quotient
    1.51
  • 314Textile product mills
    Employment
    2,248
    Establishments
    150
    Avg. annual pay
    $48,590
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −2.5%
    Location quotient
    1.02
  • 324Petroleum and coal products manufacturing
    Employment
    1,058
    Establishments
    24
    Avg. annual pay
    $109,091
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −17.7%
    Location quotient
    0.48
  • 316Leather and allied product manufacturing
    Employment
    340
    Establishments
    32
    Avg. annual pay
    $37,047
    Pay vs. U.S.Calc
    −32.9%
    Location quotient
    0.61

03By year

Tennessee manufacturing, 2022–2025

Wages are in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation). BLS cautions that QCEW is not designed as a time series, so treat year-to-year differences as indicative.

Private manufacturing in Tennessee by year, annual averages, nominal dollars
YearEmploymentAvg. annual payvs. U.S.Calc
2022364,182$68,881−13.3%
2023363,882$72,005−12.8%
2024362,430$75,222−12.0%
2025354,636$78,802−11.9%

04About this data

Source, definitions, and limits

Source
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages
File
data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2022/a/industry/31_33.csv
Retrieved
October 12, 2026 (UTC)
Period
Annual average, 2022 (final BLS data)
Industry
NAICS 2022, sector 31–33 and its three-digit subsectors
Ownership
Private employers only
Geography
Statewide; compared with the U.S. total
Citation
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).

What these numbers cover

  • Jobs reported to state unemployment insurance programs, about 95% of U.S. wage and salary jobs. Self-employed workers and proprietors are excluded; people with two jobs may be counted twice.
  • Averages describe all employers combined and do not represent any single manufacturer. Where a subsector has few establishments or jobs, its averages can swing widely and are less representative.
  • Not disclosed: BLS withheld the value to protect employer confidentiality. It is never shown as zero. No BLS data: BLS publishes no figures for that combination.

Calculations

  • Share of U.S. = state value ÷ U.S. value.
  • vs. U.S. = state value ÷ U.S. value − 1.
  • Both inputs come from the same BLS file: same year, industry, and ownership. Not calculated when either value is withheld (shown as —).
  • Location quotient is published by BLS: the industry's share of all local jobs (all industries and ownerships) divided by its share nationally.

Read our methodology