Tennessee Manufacturing Facts

Manufacturers in Tennessee account for 14.97% of the total output in the state, employing 11.28% of the workforce. Total output from manufacturing was $62.13 billion in 2021. In addition, there were an average of 353,000 manufacturing employees in Tennessee in December 2021, with an average annual compensation of $76,929.93 in 2021.

Manufacturing Output and Firms

Total Manufacturing Output ($billions, 2021)
$62.13
(Percent share of total gross state product)
14.97%
Manufacturing Firms in Tennessee (2019)
5,121

Employment and Compensation

Manufacturing Employment (December 2021)
353,000
(Percent share of nonfarm employment)
11.28%
Average Annual Compensation (Manufacturing, 2021)
$76,929.93
(Nonfarm Businesses, 2021)
$53,667.04

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Tennessee Export Facts

Manufacturers help to drive the Tennessee economy, with $32.91 billion in manufactured goods exports in 2021.

Manufacturing Exports

Manufactured Goods Exports ($billions, 2021)
$32.91
Top 5 Export Markets (total percentage 2021)
53.91%
Canada
22.37%
Mexico
12.16%
China
8.20%
Japan
5.90%
Belgium
5.27%

Sources: International Trade Administration, U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 4

Additional Trade Facts

  • The 20 U.S. FTA partners purchased 49.38% ($690.92 billion) of U.S. manufactured goods exports in 2021 – even though these countries represent only six percent of the world’s population and 10 percent of GDP.
  • FTA countries: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea.