How many jobs were lost in Tennessee last month?
Refreshed monthly
Tennessee lost 400 jobs in July 2026, ranking it 30th among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 4,400 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-400
month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)
30th
rank among states in monthly job growth (July 2026)
Tennessee’s job loss of 400 in July 2026 was a directional change from the previous month. The latest monthly job change was down from the 2,700 gain in June 2026.
During the latest five year period (August 2021 to July 2026), Tennessee gained jobs in 45 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the 15th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (26,100) while job growth was weakest in June 2025 (-14,200).
There were 400 fewer jobs in July 2026 in Tennessee than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, August 2021–July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which Tennessee sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in July 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in July 2026 were administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, transportation, warehousing, and utilities, and local government. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services added 1,800 jobs, more than the entire economy. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities gained 1,400 jobs, while local government added 1,000. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were accommodation and food services, arts, entertainment, and recreation, and retail trade. Accommodation and food services lost 2,200 jobs in July 2026, while arts, entertainment, and recreation lost 1,200 jobs and retail trade lost 1,100 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 400 jobs during July 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in Tennessee (July 2026)
How has Tennessee's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, Tennessee gained an average of 117 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 608, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as 16th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 10,300 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 12,000 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, Tennessee gained an average of 117 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among 10 metro areas primarily in Tennessee during July 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,900 jobs in the Nashville, TN area to a gain of 800 jobs in the Memphis, TN area metro area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within Tennessee
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +800 | |
| 2. | +300 | |
| 3. | +200 | |
| 4. | +100 | |
| 5. | +0 | |
| 6. | +0 | |
| 7. | -100 | |
| 8. | -100 | |
| 9. | -300 | |
| 10. | -1,900 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
