Occupational profile · 2025
Tennessee
Tennessee employs 3,278,760 people. The work it does most unusually is entertainment attendants and related workers, all other, at 8.3× the national concentration — 1,230 jobs paying a median of $29,890.
What Tennessee is distinctive for
Detailed occupations ranked by location quotient. A location quotient is an occupation’s share of a state’s jobs divided by its share of the nation’s. One means the state looks like the country; two means twice the concentration. It is a measure of distinctiveness, not of quality, size or pay. Bars use a logarithmic scale so the lower ranks stay legible beside the leader.
- 1Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other1,230 jobs · median $29,8908.3×
- 2Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic1,140 jobs · median $43,8106.1×
- 3Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other1,150 jobs · median $82,0905.8×
- 4Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers1,460 jobs · median $46,2805.4×
- 5Cooks, All Other2,060 jobs · median $36,4405.0×
- 6Transportation Workers, All Other1,330 jobs · median $46,2804.7×
- 7Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic1,170 jobs · median $43,7104.5×
- 8Production Workers, All Other20,150 jobs · median $40,1303.8×
- 9Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders4,210 jobs · median $41,9703.4×
- 10Procurement Clerks3,900 jobs · median $38,7103.3×
- 11Tire Builders1,360 jobs · median $74,1003.1×
- 12Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders1,950 jobs · median $47,1802.9×
What Tennessee is made of
All twenty-two occupational groups by headcount, with the concentration figure beside each. Most states look broadly alike in this view — that is the finding, not a flaw in it.
| Occupation group | Share of state employment | Jobs | vs national | Median wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office and Administrative Support Occupations | 426,040 | 1.14× | $45,370 | |
| Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 369,270 | 1.28× | $41,880 | |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 301,640 | 1.05× | $29,310 | |
| Sales and Related Occupations | 278,210 | 0.98× | $35,730 | |
| Production Occupations | 261,580 | 1.45× | $45,150 | |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 218,160 | 1.05× | $78,590 | |
| Management Occupations | 215,600 | 0.92× | $115,010 | |
| Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 189,510 | 0.85× | $75,700 | |
| Educational Instruction and Library Occupations | 155,180 | 0.81× | $58,870 | |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations | 144,040 | 1.12× | $56,400 | |
| Construction and Extraction Occupations | 125,860 | 0.93× | $50,510 | |
| Healthcare Support Occupations | 110,040 | 0.66× | $37,240 | |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations | 87,580 | 0.91× | $34,990 | |
| Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 82,790 | 0.75× | $87,400 | |
| Protective Service Occupations | 76,930 | 0.97× | $46,610 | |
| Personal Care and Service Occupations | 57,620 | 0.84× | $32,200 | |
| Community and Social Service Occupations | 47,700 | 0.85× | $51,900 | |
| Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 45,090 | 0.82× | $85,630 | |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations | 41,190 | 0.95× | $50,340 | |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations | 22,100 | 0.71× | $76,400 | |
| Legal Occupations | 18,410 | 0.67× | $83,890 | |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Occupations | 4,180 | 0.46× | $37,140 |
Elsewhere on Tennessee
Blank cells are estimates BLS did not release, usually because too few employers reported. They are shown as gaps rather than filled. Detailed occupations are included only where at least 1,000 people are employed, below which a quotient is survey noise. A wage marked “$239,200 or more” is censored at source: BLS does not publish medians above that figure, so the number is a floor rather than the wage. A work of the U.S. government: no copyright subsists (17 U.S.C. §105). BLS OEWS ↗