Workforce

A Thriving Workforce Pipeline

East Tennessee’s diverse and skilled workforce is a major asset for businesses looking to grow and thrive. Companies in our 15-county region draw employees from across 32 counties, providing a strong talent pipeline. This workforce has been instrumental in both retaining established businesses and attracting new industries. Explore the links below for key insights into labor force availability, laborshed data, and union membership in the region. Tennessee is a right-to-work state.

Regional Workforce Statistics

Workforce & Training

Laborshed

Commuting Information

Workforce Information

Union Membership

Location	Private	Public	Total
Knoxville MSA	2.6	13	4.4
Tennessee	2.9	15.5	4.7
U.S.	5.9	32.9	10
Source: 2025 Union Stats and BLS

Employment By Industry

Wages by Industry

Laborforce Availability

Industry	2025 Employees	%
Agricultural, Natural Resources & Mining	4,572	0.75%
Business & Professional Services	91,599	15.03%
Construction	36946	6.06%
Education & Health Services	79,559	13.05%
Financial Activities	18708	3.07%
Government	81675	13.40%
Information	5659	0.93%
Leisure & Hospitality	81,347	13.34%
Manufacturing	62474	10.25%
Other Services	29,734	4.88%
Retail	70673	11.59%
Trade, Transportation & Utilities	46,655	7.65%
Total	609,602	100.00%

NAICS	Description	Avg. Earnings Per Job	2025 Jobs
11	Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	$42,836	3,568
21	Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction	$122,216	992
22	Utilities	$131,568	569
23	Construction	$77,971	36,155
31	Manufacturing	$94,840	61,084
42	Wholesale Trade	$101,983	19,546
44	Retail Trade	$49,282	69,706
48	Transportation and Warehousing	$73,617	24,940
51	Information	$117,512	5,732
52	Finance and Insurance	$111,202	18,349
53	Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	$78,417	9,677
54	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$118,548	35,194
55	Management of Companies and Enterprises	$130,368	8,725
56	Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	$63,119	36,258
61	Educational Services	$49,617	9,812
62	Health Care and Social Assistance	$76,101	67,737
71	Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	$38,516	15,066
72	Accommodation and Food Services	$32,177	64,598
81	Other Services (except Public Administration)	$39,348	28,933
90	Government	$80,977	80,626
99	Unclassified Industry	$54,692	254
		$72,430	597,523

County	Labor Force	Employed	Unemployed	% Unemployed
Anderson County, TN	36,730	35,493	1,237	3.4%
Blount County, TN	70,803	68,661	2,142	3.0%
Campbell County, TN	16,772	16,161	611	3.6%
Claiborne County, TN	13,079	12,543	536	4.1%
Cocke County, TN	15,096	14,325	771	5.1%
Grainger County, TN	10,806	10,413	393	3.6%
Jefferson County, TN	26,749	25,767	982	3.7%
Knox County, TN	264,550	256,614	7,936	3.0%
Loudon County, TN	28,206	27,272	934	3.3%
Monroe County, TN	19,458	18,679	779	4.0%
Morgan County, TN	8,334	7,998	336	4.0%
Roane County, TN	25,065	24,142	923	3.7%
Scott County, TN	8,997	8,629	368	4.1%
Sevier County, TN	53,473	51,707	1,766	3.3%
Union County, TN	9,312	8,969	343	3.7%
Knoxville Region Total	607,430	587,373	20,057	3.3%
Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area	470,579	455,723	14,856	3.2%

State of TN 2025 Annual Average

Common Search Terms

Workforce

A Thriving Workforce Pipeline

Regional Workforce Statistics

Workforce Information