Nashville’s economy generates over $100 billion annually. It ranked second among all U.S. metros for job growth and income in 2025, with unemployment consistently running near 2.9% against a national average around 4%. There are roughly 47,000 more job openings than unemployed residents in the region. The industries behind those numbers are more diverse than the city’s music-first reputation suggests.
Healthcare: The Foundation Everything Else Is Built On
Nashville manages or owns roughly 15% of all hospital beds in America. Over 500 healthcare companies are headquartered or based here. The healthcare sector employs more than 126,000 workers in the metro area, and that does not fully count the administrative, technology, and business services companies that serve healthcare clients.
The anchor employers: HCA Healthcare (headquartered in The Gulch, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain, approximately 10,500 Nashville employees), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (28,000+ employees, one of the top research hospitals in the country), and Ascension St. Thomas Health (9 hospitals and surgery centers, approximately 6,200 Nashville employees).
The healthcare industry also functions as a technology industry here. Dozens of health IT, medical device, and healthcare analytics companies have planted here specifically because their clients are two blocks away. Healtheon, Change Healthcare, and Meharry Medical College all operate in this ecosystem.
Technology: The Fastest-Growing Sector
Tech employment in Nashville grew approximately 12% from 2020-2025, and the corporate investment signals continued acceleration. Oracle built a $1.4 billion campus on the East Bank of the Cumberland River and designated Nashville as one of its global headquarters cities. Amazon leased over 1 million square feet of office space downtown and opened a $230 million operations hub.
The city now claims more than 11 unicorn-valued companies in its startup ecosystem. The Nashville Entrepreneur Center serves as the central infrastructure hub for early-stage companies, and the proximity of the healthcare industry creates a dense market for health technology startups that cannot be replicated elsewhere as easily.
Software development, data, IT operations, and cybersecurity are the fastest-growing specific roles within this sector.
Finance and Professional Services
AllianceBernstein moved its global headquarters from New York to Nashville in 2019, bringing hundreds of high-paying finance jobs and signaling to other financial services companies that the talent and infrastructure existed here. Several major banks, insurance companies, and wealth management firms have followed or expanded existing Nashville presence.
Financial services, legal services, accounting, and consulting collectively employ a significant portion of Nashville’s professional workforce and anchor the upper end of the salary distribution in the city.
Logistics and Manufacturing
Nashville sits in a logistically advantageous position: six major interstate highways converge in or near the city, the CSX rail network connects Nashville to 20 states, and BNA airport handles substantial cargo in addition to passengers. Nissan’s North American headquarters is in nearby Franklin. Ford and General Motors both have manufacturing operations in the region. Toyota’s North American headquarters sits in Plano, Texas, but the supply chain infrastructure that serves all three runs substantially through Middle Tennessee.
The logistics and warehousing sector employs over 73,000 workers in the Nashville metro at an average wage around $51,000.
Hospitality and Tourism
Tourism sustains roughly 70,000+ hospitality jobs in the metro. Nashville drew over 16 million visitors in 2019, and post-pandemic recovery has been strong. Hotels, restaurants, event venues, and the music industry collectively form an employment base that underpins a large portion of entry-level and service sector employment.
This sector’s wages are lower than healthcare or tech, but the sheer volume of positions makes it one of the largest employers by headcount.
The Structural Advantage
The combination of no state income tax, a business-friendly regulatory environment, lower real estate costs than coastal cities, and a growing talent pipeline from Vanderbilt, Fisk, Belmont, and MTSU creates a self-reinforcing cycle. Companies move to Nashville because costs are lower and talent is available. More talent moves to Nashville because more companies are there. The median household income grew by nearly 50% over the past decade, which suggests the growth is lifting wages, not just headcount.
Sources:
- CNBC – How Nashville Transformed Into a Booming Business Hub (May 2025): cnbc.com
- Capital Analytics Associates – Nashville Named No. 2 US Metro for Job Growth (August 2025): capitalanalyticsassociates.com
- The Cauble Group – 10 Largest Employers in Nashville 2024: tylercauble.com
- MattWardHomes – Nashville Top 5 for Post-COVID Employment Growth (September 2025): mattwardhomes.com
- TN Real Estate – Nashville Economy: tnrealestate.com