Region: Southeast
Capital City: Nashville
State Governor: Bill Lee
Principal Cities: Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Clarksville, Johnson City, Murfreesboro
We’ve created an environment unbound by state borders. No other state is more competitive in recruiting foreign direct investment or exporting products enjoyed the world over. We’ve established resources that make Tennessee accessible to any international market.
Business Climate
In Tennessee, we make world-class automobiles, guitars, batteries, savory snacks and legendary whiskey, to name a few. While other states gave up on their manufacturing workforce a long time ago, we never stopped making products used around the world.
Tennessee was named recipient of Area Development‘s first-ever 2022 Platinum Shovel Award due to significant job creation and investment in 2021. Tennessee’s list includes five projects representing 1,000+ jobs, three with investments topping $1 billion.
Location & Infrastructure
When you bring your business to Tennessee, you’ll have unparalleled access to all markets within the U.S. and across the globe.
Tennessee is home to nearly 80 airports, including one of the busiest cargo airports in the world, the third largest rail center in the U.S. and the nation’s fifth largest inland port.
Workforce & Education
In Tennessee, we excel in industries that rely on our greatest resource: a dedicated and highly skilled workforce. From global giants to homegrown startups, industry thrives in Tennessee.
We’ve created innovative workforce partnerships and game-changing education reform for skills in high demand. The result is a steady pipeline of qualified candidates. People know that Tennessee not only is a great place to live, but an excellent place to work. U.S. News recently ranked Tennessee as one of the top five states in the nation for population growth among the millennial workforce.
International
The Volunteer State is home to 1,000+ foreign-based businesses that have invested $41 billion in capital and employ more than 156,000 Tennesseans.
By investing in a broader international footprint, we’ve ensured that Tennessee is firmly entrenched in the new global economy. Our team extends beyond the borders of our state, with foreign direct investment recruitment offices strategically located across Europe and Asia.
Quality of Life
Whether it’s the sophistication of our big cities or the southern charm of our small towns, Tennessee offers the best of both worlds with a cost of living 11 percent below the national average.
And there’s plenty here to amuse and entertain you, from our legendary music and arts to our stunning scenery to the endless options for outdoor recreation. Tennessee is home to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the U.S., as well as Dollywood, which was recently named the best theme park in the country by Tripadvisor.
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Our commitment to innovation has landed Tennessee at the forefront of today’s manufacturing renaissance. Advanced manufacturing touches everything we produce here from start-ups to brands like LG Electronics, which established its largest U.S. home appliance operation here in Tennessee.
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Tennessee’s automotive manufacturing cluster includes three major assembly plants and automotive operations in 88 of 95 counties. Nissan’s North American headquarters is in Franklin, and its plant in Smyrna is regularly the most productive in North America. With General Motors in Spring Hill, Volkswagen in Chattanooga and Ford Motor Company’s future location in Haywood County, Tennessee continues to invest in training for the state’s high concentration of automotive employment, a number that’s 3.17 times the national average.
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Tennessee brands stand tall in the world of memorable tastes. Brands like Jack Daniel’s, M&M Mars, Bush Beans, Moon Pies and Little Debbie Snack Cakes grew out of Tennessee’s deeply held traditions of agriculture, hospitality and craftsmanship. Today, Tyson Foods, Unilever, Pictsweet, Coca-Cola, Frito Lay and Green Mountain Coffee are among more than 1,600 registered food and beverage manufacturers operating in Tennessee. Unilever operates the world’s largest ice cream plant in Covington. Tennessee’s strong agricultural economy accounts for 8.3 percent of the state’s economy while generating $56.8+ billion in output.
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Tennessee’s aerospace and defense cluster includes 70+ companies, anchored by the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), the largest flight simulation facility in the world. Tennessee’s crown jewel, the AEDC has tested virtually every Department of Defense high-performance aircraft and missile system.
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Our healthy population of existing chemicals manufacturers requires a vast scope of skilled jobs that range from chemists to engineers and production workers. 350+ establishments operate within this industry sector, including Eastman Chemical Company, Kilgore Flares, Unilever PLC, Bayer, 3M Company, Valspar Corporation, FUJIFILM Hunt Chemicals and many more.
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Tennessee ranks 2nd in the nation in exports of medical equipment and supplies, with a total of $4.0 billion in 2020. Our state’s exports in the sector have grown by 53 percent since 2010. Tennessee’s largest export partners in this sector include Japan, Singapore, Belgium, the Netherlands and China, accounting for 65 percent of the sector’s exports. Since 2017, approximately 35 projects have been announced in the Healthcare and Life Sciences sector. These projects have created 7,000+ new jobs with investment of $829 million.
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Tennessee ranks 2nd in the nation for employment in the advanced materials industry. Major automotive manufacturing companies like Bridgestone and Hankook Tires are headquartered in Nashville and employ nearly 4,000 workers with the skills to manufacture approximately 6,000 tires per day. Giants in the ceramic tile industry such as Florim USA, Dal-Tile Corporation and Landmark Ceramics, greatly benefit from the abundance of Tennessee’s natural resources and raw materials used in the ceramics and clay industry. We are the #1 state for ball clay mining; 90% of U.S. manufactured tile includes Tennessee ball clay.
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Our state is home to some of the world’s most recognized consumer brands, including Monogram Refrigeration, Whirlpool, ABB, LG Electronics and Electrolux. Appliance and electric manufacturers choose Tennessee for our ideal business climate and close proximity to major U.S. markets, but they stay for our skilled, abundant workforce.
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Home to the world headquarters of shipping powerhouse FedEx, Tennessee is uniquely positioned to provide you with the most cost-effective way to reach suppliers and customers around the globe. We’re home to one of the busiest cargo airport in the world. Not to mention, we have immediate access to eight interstate highways—reaching 60 percent of the U.S. population within an 11-hour drive or less. We also offer six Class 1 railroads and more than 1,000 miles of navigable waterways.
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We have attracted some of the world’s biggest brands to our state. Among those headquartered in Tennessee include FedEx, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), International Paper, Dollar General, Community Health Systems, Unum, Eastman Chemical Company, Nissan North America and Bridgestone, just to name a few. In 2021, we committed our largest project to date. 8,500 jobs and $1.3 billion invested from tech giant Oracle.
Tennessee supports R&D in small businesses, large corporations and several internationally recognized research institutions, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Vanderbilt University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), U.S. Airforce Arnold Engineering Development Complex and the University of Tennessee.
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