This article is part of our Moving to Nashville guide.
Last updated October 20, 2026
The Nashville job market is steady and fairly tight: metro unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026, and the area had about 1.2 million jobs. Pay averages a little below the national figure, but Tennessee does not tax wages, which narrows the gap. Healthcare is the anchor industry, with music, tourism, logistics, auto manufacturing and a growing tech presence around it. This guide covers what jobs pay, who is hiring, where to search and how commuting to suburban job centers works.
A note on geography before the numbers. Most of the figures below are for the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area, which the Census Bureau put at about 2.2 million people in its July 2025 estimate. That area includes Metro Nashville-Davidson County (the consolidated city-county) and suburbs like Franklin, Brentwood, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, Hendersonville and Mt. Juliet, which are separate cities in other counties. Plenty of big employers sit outside Davidson County, so where you work may shape where you live. Our Nashville moving guide has the bigger picture.
What is the unemployment rate in Nashville?
The Nashville metro unemployment rate was 3.1% in August 2026 (preliminary, not seasonally adjusted), up slightly from 3.0% in July (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economy at a Glance, October 2026). The seasonally adjusted rate for the same month was 2.9% (BLS data via FRED, September 2026). From March through August 2026 the rate stayed in a narrow band, between 2.7% in May and 3.2% in June (BLS, October 2026).
In plain terms, that is a low rate. Most people who want work can find it, though “a job” and “the job you want at the pay you want” are different things. Unemployment numbers come out monthly and get revised, so check the BLS Nashville Economy at a Glance page for the newest month before you plan around it.
Job growth has slowed from the boom years but is still positive. The metro had 1,200,300 nonfarm jobs in August 2026, up 0.7% from a year earlier (BLS, preliminary). Some sectors grew much faster than that and some shrank, which matters if you are moving for a specific field:
- Growing: leisure and hospitality (up 4.9%), education and health services (up 2.4%), and other services (up 2.3%).
- Roughly flat: professional and business services (up 0.9%), manufacturing (up 0.6%), and trade, transportation and utilities (down 0.2%).
- Shrinking: construction and mining (down 2.7%), financial activities (down 2.5%), government (down 1.6%) and information (down 1.2%).
All changes are August 2026 compared with August 2025 (BLS, preliminary).
How much do jobs in Nashville pay?
The mean (average) wage for all jobs in the Nashville metro was $31.92 an hour in May 2025, compared with $33.54 nationwide (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, released July 2026). At a full-time 2,080 hours a year, which is how BLS turns hourly wages into yearly ones, that works out to about $66,400 a year.
Keep two things in mind about that number:
- It is a mean, not a median. High earners pull an average up, so the typical worker earns less than this.
- It is below the U.S. figure in most fields. BLS found Nashville’s mean wage lower than the national mean in 19 of 22 major job groups. The three exceptions were healthcare support, office and administrative support, and production work (BLS, May 2025).
For a reality check on what that pay covers, MIT’s Living Wage Calculator puts the living wage for one working adult with no children in Davidson County at $24.64 an hour, or $51,243 a year before taxes (MIT, February 2026). Our Nashville cost of living guide breaks down rent, utilities, taxes and other costs against those figures.
What do different jobs pay in Nashville?
This table shows mean hourly wages for selected major job groups in the Nashville metro, next to the national mean. The share column shows how much of Nashville’s workforce is in each group. All figures are BLS OEWS estimates for May 2025, released July 2026.
| Job group | Nashville mean hourly wage | U.S. mean hourly wage | Share of Nashville jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| All occupations | $31.92 | $33.54 | 100% |
| Management | $68.28 | $69.84 | 7.5% |
| Legal | $58.73 | $67.07 | 0.7% |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical | $51.66 | $52.26 | 6.8% |
| Computer and mathematical | $48.78 | $57.73 | 3.1% |
| Business and financial operations | $41.69 | $45.78 | 6.8% |
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media | $36.15 | $38.36 | 1.7% |
| Educational instruction and library | $29.40 | $32.47 | 4.3% |
| Installation, maintenance and repair | $29.15 | $30.44 | 4.2% |
| Construction and extraction | $28.56 | $31.42 | 4.0% |
| Sales and related | $25.39 | $26.43 | 8.4% |
| Office and administrative support | $25.06 | $24.79 | 13.0% |
| Production | $25.05 | $24.81 | 6.2% |
| Transportation and material moving | $22.99 | $23.96 | 10.8% |
| Healthcare support | $20.38 | $19.62 | 2.9% |
| Personal care and service | $18.48 | $19.74 | 2.0% |
| Food preparation and serving | $16.55 | $17.86 | 9.4% |
A few patterns stand out. Office and administrative support is the biggest group, at 13.0% of jobs (11.4% nationally), and transportation and material moving is next at 10.8% (8.8% nationally), which reflects Nashville’s role as a corporate and distribution center (BLS, May 2025). Healthcare practitioners earn close to the national mean. Tech, legal and education jobs show the widest gaps below national pay. Food service jobs are common, at 9.4% of the workforce, and are the lowest paid group in the table.
To look up a specific job title, start from the BLS Nashville wage release, which links to the detailed occupation tables for the metro.
What are the biggest industries in Nashville?
By BLS supersector, the largest employers in the metro in August 2026 were trade, transportation and utilities (224,700 jobs), professional and business services (198,300), education and health services (186,700), leisure and hospitality (145,800), government (125,500) and manufacturing (88,700) (BLS, preliminary). Here is what that looks like on the ground.
Who are the biggest healthcare employers in Nashville?
Healthcare is the industry Nashville is best known for among employers. HCA Healthcare is headquartered in Nashville and is a Fortune 500 company (Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce). Vanderbilt University Medical Center says it has nearly 40,000 staff and calls itself the largest non-government employer of Middle Tennesseans (VUMC, fiscal 2023 figures).
The wider industry is larger still. An industry-funded study for the Nashville Health Care Council found that Nashville’s healthcare industry supported 372,160 jobs in the region and had $72.1 billion in economic output in 2024, and that 17 publicly traded healthcare companies are based in Nashville (Nashville Health Care Council, 2025). That count includes jobs the industry supports indirectly. The government count for education and health services together was 186,700 jobs in August 2026, up 2.4% from a year earlier (BLS).
Healthcare jobs are not all clinical. Corporate headquarters also hire for roles like finance, IT, billing and data, so it is worth searching healthcare employers even if you have no medical background.
Can you find work in music and entertainment in Nashville?
Yes, but it is a small slice of the job market. Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media jobs made up 1.7% of Nashville metro employment in May 2025, more than the 1.3% share nationally, with a mean wage of $36.15 an hour (BLS OEWS). Behind the performers are labels, publishers, studios, venues, touring and production companies, and the business staff who support them. If music is your reason for moving, plan for a career you build over time, and have another source of income while you do.
How big is tourism and hospitality in Nashville?
Leisure and hospitality was the fastest growing major sector in the metro, with 145,800 jobs in August 2026, up 4.9% from a year earlier (BLS, preliminary). That covers hotels, restaurants, bars, venues and attractions. Food preparation and serving jobs alone were 9.4% of metro employment in May 2025, with a mean wage of $16.55 an hour (BLS OEWS). These jobs are easy to find quickly, which helps if you need income while you look for something else, but schedules often include nights and weekends and pay depends heavily on tips.
Is Nashville a logistics hub?
Yes. Interstates 40, 24 and 65 meet in Nashville, and the region has a lot of warehouse, distribution and trucking work. Trade, transportation and utilities is the largest supersector, at 224,700 jobs in August 2026 (BLS, preliminary). Transportation and material moving jobs were 10.8% of metro employment in May 2025, compared with 8.8% nationally, with a mean wage of $22.99 an hour (BLS OEWS). Check where a warehouse or distribution job is actually located before you sign a lease, since many are outside the city center.
What auto jobs are there near Nashville?
Nissan North America is headquartered in Franklin, in Williamson County, and runs a manufacturing plant in Smyrna, in Rutherford County (Nissan USA, October 2026). Neither is in Nashville itself. Production jobs were 6.2% of metro employment in May 2025, with a mean wage of $25.05 an hour, slightly above the national mean (BLS OEWS). Manufacturing as a whole had 88,700 jobs in the metro in August 2026 (BLS, preliminary).
Is there a tech job market in Nashville?
It is growing, but smaller and lower paid than in the biggest tech cities. Computer and mathematical jobs were 3.1% of Nashville metro employment in May 2025, with a mean wage of $48.78 an hour, compared with $57.73 nationally (BLS OEWS). A lot of local tech work sits inside healthcare companies.
Two big names matter for newcomers:
- Oracle is building a campus on the East Bank along the Cumberland River. Ground was broken in May 2026 (Nashville Scene, August 2026). Oracle has said it aims for 8,500 Nashville employees by 2030, and its state incentive deal sets a nearer hiring target for the end of 2029. Hiring is behind that pace, with roughly 900 Nashville jobs on record, and Oracle has scaled back its planned office space (Nashville Scene, August 2026; WKRN, April 2026). In March 2026, Oracle leased 116,000 square feet in the Neuhoff District, for about 2,000 seats across three Nashville locations (Oracle, March 2026). The campus is under construction, and no completion date has been announced.
- Amazon has a large corporate office downtown.
Professional and business services, which includes many tech, consulting and corporate jobs, had 198,300 jobs in August 2026, up 0.9% from a year earlier (BLS, preliminary). The information sector, which includes publishing, media and some software, shrank 1.2% over the same period.
What is the minimum wage in Nashville?
The minimum wage in Nashville is the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal minimum applies to employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (U.S. Department of Labor, July 2026).
In practice, few full-time jobs in the metro pay that little. Even the lowest paid group in the BLS data, food preparation and serving, had a mean wage of $16.55 an hour in May 2025 (BLS OEWS). But $7.25 is the legal floor, so for service jobs, ask what the base hourly rate is and how tips are handled before you accept.
Does Tennessee have a state income tax on wages?
No. Tennessee does not tax wage income. The state’s only income tax, the Hall tax on interest and dividends, was fully repealed beginning January 1, 2021 (Tennessee Department of Revenue).
That is a real advantage when you compare job offers. If you are moving from a state with an income tax, a Nashville salary keeps more of its value than the same salary would back home, so a lower gross offer can still leave you with similar take-home pay. Run your own numbers with your current state’s tax rates before you compare. The trade-off is sales tax: most purchases in Nashville are taxed at 9.75% (7% state plus 2.75% local), and groceries at 6.75% (4% state plus 2.75% local). Davidson County’s local grocery rate drops by half a cent on November 1, 2026 (Tennessee Department of Revenue). The cost of living guide covers sales and property taxes in more detail.
Where should you look for jobs in Nashville?
- Jobs4TN. The state’s free job board, run by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, at jobs4tn.gov. Use it to search job listings, or visit a local American Job Center for in-person help (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, April 2026).
- American Job Centers. These state-run centers offer free help with job searches, resumes and interview prep, plus hiring events. Nashville’s center is at Nashville State Community College’s East Davidson campus, 2845 Elm Hill Pike near the airport, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 2025).
- Employer career sites. The biggest employers post jobs on their own sites first. Check HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nissan, Oracle and Amazon directly, plus Metro Nashville government and the State of Tennessee if you want public sector work.
- General job boards and LinkedIn. Filter by location carefully. A “Nashville” listing may be in Franklin, Brentwood or Murfreesboro.
- Staffing agencies. Common for office, warehouse, and light industrial work, and a quick way to start earning while you search for something permanent.
If you can, line up interviews before you move. Many employers will do first rounds by video, and an offer in hand makes it much easier to rent. Landlords usually want proof of income, which our guide to renting in Nashville explains.
How do people commute to jobs in Franklin and Smyrna?
Mostly by car. Several large job centers sit outside Davidson County, and getting to them without driving is hard.
- Franklin and Cool Springs (Williamson County) are south of Nashville along I-65. Cool Springs is Franklin’s main office and retail area, and Franklin is home to Nissan North America’s headquarters.
- Smyrna (Rutherford County) is southeast along I-24, home to Nissan’s vehicle plant. Murfreesboro is farther down the same interstate.
Interstate traffic can be slow at rush hour, so test the drive at the time you would actually commute before you choose an apartment. Living on the same side of town as your job can save a lot of time.
There are some transit options. WeGo runs regional bus routes, including 95 Spring Hill/Franklin, 86 Smyrna/La Vergne and 84 Murfreesboro, that carry commuters to and from downtown Nashville (WeGo, October 2026). A regional bus ride costs $4.25 (WeGo, October 2026). These routes are built around downtown commutes, so check schedules carefully if you would live in Nashville and work in the suburbs. The WeGo Star train runs weekday peak trips between Lebanon and downtown, with stops including Mt. Juliet, Hermitage and Donelson (WeGo, October 2026). Our post on whether you need a car in Nashville covers driving costs, and the Nashville transit guide covers fares and passes.
Where you work should shape where you live. If your job is downtown, in Midtown near Vanderbilt or in the Gulch, a close-in neighborhood can cut your commute to minutes. If it is in Cool Springs or Smyrna, you might weigh a suburb instead. Our guide to the best Nashville neighborhoods for newcomers compares areas by rent and location.
Frequently asked questions about jobs in Nashville
Is it easy to find a job in Nashville?
Easier than in many metros. Unemployment was 3.1% in August 2026 (BLS, preliminary). Healthcare, hospitality and logistics hire steadily. Specialized fields like tech or music can take longer, so start searching before you move.
What is a good salary in Nashville?
The metro’s mean wage was $31.92 an hour in May 2025, or about $66,400 a year full time (BLS OEWS). MIT puts the living wage for one adult with no children in Davidson County at $51,243 a year before taxes (MIT, February 2026). Whatever you earn, none of it goes to a state tax on wages.
Who is the largest employer in Nashville?
Vanderbilt University Medical Center says it is the largest non-government employer of Middle Tennesseans, with nearly 40,000 staff (VUMC, fiscal 2023 figures). HCA Healthcare is the best-known company headquartered in the city.
Do Nashville jobs pay less than other cities?
On average, a little. The metro mean wage was $31.92 an hour against $33.54 nationally in May 2025, and Nashville was below the national mean in 19 of 22 job groups (BLS OEWS). Having no state tax on wages makes up some of that gap.
Sources
- Unemployment and jobs by sector: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nashville Area Economy at a Glance (October 2026)
- Seasonally adjusted unemployment: FRED, St. Louis Fed, Unemployment Rate in Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN (NASH947UR) (September 2026)
- Wages by job group: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages in Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, May 2025 (July 2026)
- Metro population: FRED, St. Louis Fed, Resident Population in Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN (MSA), Census Bureau data (March 2026)
- Living wage: MIT, Living Wage Calculation for Davidson County, Tennessee (February 2026)
- Minimum wage: U.S. Department of Labor, State Minimum Wage Laws (July 2026)
- Income tax: Tennessee Department of Revenue, HIT-3 Hall Income Tax Repealed Beginning January 1, 2021 (June 2021)
- Sales tax rates: Tennessee Department of Revenue, SUT-13 Sales and Use Tax Rates Overview (March 2025)
- Davidson County local rate: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Change of Local Tax Rate: Davidson County (December 2024)
- Grocery tax change: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Davidson County Food Tax Rate Decrease (August 2026)
- VUMC: VUMC News, VUMC Facts and Statistics (fiscal 2023 figures)
- HCA Healthcare: Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Top Employers / Fortune 500 and 1000 Companies (accessed October 2026)
- Healthcare industry: Nashville Health Care Council, 2025 Economic Impact (2025)
- Nissan: Nissan USA, Corporate Information (October 2026)
- Oracle jobs and groundbreaking: Nashville Scene, Oracle jobs growth and incentives pace (August 2026)
- Oracle office space: WKRN, East Bank development update (April 2026)
- Oracle Neuhoff lease: Oracle, Oracle Scales Up Nashville Offices to Support Rapid Growth (March 2026)
- Jobs4TN and American Job Centers: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, How can you help me find a job? (April 2026)
- Nashville American Job Center: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, American Job Center at Nashville State (2025)
- Regional bus routes: WeGo Public Transit, Buses (October 2026)
- Fares: WeGo Public Transit, Fare and Ticket Information (October 2026)
- WeGo Star: WeGo Public Transit, WeGo Star (October 2026)
Author: Go Big City Team
Next step: see the full Moving to Nashville guide for rent, costs, transit, weather, jobs and neighborhoods in one place.