Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW)

Davidson County had the highest covered employment (QCEW) of 95 counties in 2020, at 479,643 jobs. Van Buren County had the lowest, at 729 jobs. The median was 8,548 jobs and the figure for Tennessee was 2,916,181 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest479,643Davidson County
Median8,54895 counties
Tennessee2,916,181History

Map of counties, 2020

Anderson County: 39,244 jobsBedford County: 15,607 jobsBenton County: 3,920 jobsBledsoe County: 2,114 jobsBlount County: 48,928 jobsBradley County: 43,511 jobsCampbell County: 9,164 jobsCannon County: 2,312 jobsCarroll County: 6,553 jobsCarter County: 11,273 jobsCheatham County: 8,548 jobsChester County: 3,541 jobsClaiborne County: 8,701 jobsClay County: 1,284 jobsCocke County: 7,156 jobsCoffee County: 25,505 jobsCrockett County: 3,731 jobsCumberland County: 17,070 jobsDavidson County: 479,643 jobsDecatur County: 3,260 jobsDeKalb County: 5,409 jobsDickson County: 17,074 jobsDyer County: 14,616 jobsFayette County: 7,876 jobsFentress County: 5,041 jobsFranklin County: 10,917 jobsGibson County: 14,106 jobsGiles County: 9,477 jobsGrainger County: 4,036 jobsGreene County: 23,648 jobsGrundy County: 2,053 jobsHamblen County: 31,300 jobsHamilton County: 199,009 jobsHancock County: 885 jobsHardeman County: 6,635 jobsHardin County: 7,829 jobsHawkins County: 11,791 jobsHaywood County: 4,920 jobsHenderson County: 7,663 jobsHenry County: 10,997 jobsHickman County: 3,785 jobsHouston County: 1,445 jobsHumphreys County: 5,790 jobsJackson County: 1,418 jobsJefferson County: 13,087 jobsJohnson County: 4,250 jobsKnox County: 232,376 jobsLake County: 1,537 jobsLauderdale County: 6,675 jobsLawrence County: 10,723 jobsLewis County: 2,850 jobsLincoln County: 8,812 jobsLoudon County: 16,675 jobsMcMinn County: 17,937 jobsMcNairy County: 5,195 jobsMacon County: 4,823 jobsMadison County: 57,348 jobsMarion County: 7,264 jobsMarshall County: 8,943 jobsMaury County: 35,189 jobsMeigs County: 2,138 jobsMonroe County: 13,806 jobsMontgomery County: 55,398 jobsMoore County: 2,230 jobsMorgan County: 3,110 jobsObion County: 10,646 jobsOverton County: 4,830 jobsPerry County: 1,584 jobsPickett County: 957 jobsPolk County: 2,244 jobsPutnam County: 36,897 jobsRhea County: 10,133 jobsRoane County: 19,171 jobsRobertson County: 21,636 jobsRutherford County: 128,934 jobsScott County: 5,414 jobsSequatchie County: 2,982 jobsSevier County: 45,036 jobsShelby County: 477,083 jobsSmith County: 4,938 jobsStewart County: 2,759 jobsSullivan County: 65,957 jobsSumner County: 54,544 jobsTipton County: 11,351 jobsTrousdale County: 1,793 jobsUnicoi County: 4,752 jobsUnion County: 2,449 jobsVan Buren County: 729 jobsWarren County: 12,448 jobsWashington County: 59,261 jobsWayne County: 3,829 jobsWeakley County: 10,715 jobsWhite County: 6,903 jobsWilliamson County: 135,131 jobsWilson County: 50,782 jobs
  • Under 3,000
  • 3,000 to 5,000
  • 5,000 to 9,000
  • 9,000 to 13K
  • 13K to 38K
  • 38K and over
jobs, 2020. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2020

Davidson County: 479,643 jobsDavidson County479,643Shelby County: 477,083 jobsShelby County477,083Knox County: 232,376 jobsKnox County232,376Hamilton County: 199,009 jobsHamilton County199,009Williamson County: 135,131 jobsWilliamson County135,131Rutherford County: 128,934 jobsRutherford County128,934Sullivan County: 65,957 jobsSullivan County65,957Washington County: 59,261 jobsWashington County59,261Madison County: 57,348 jobsMadison County57,348Montgomery County: 55,398 jobsMontgomery County55,398Sumner County: 54,544 jobsSumner County54,544Wilson County: 50,782 jobsWilson County50,782Blount County: 48,928 jobsBlount County48,928Sevier County: 45,036 jobsSevier County45,036Bradley County: 43,511 jobsBradley County43,511Anderson County: 39,244 jobsAnderson County39,244Putnam County: 36,897 jobsPutnam County36,897Maury County: 35,189 jobsMaury County35,189Hamblen County: 31,300 jobsHamblen County31,300Coffee County: 25,505 jobsCoffee County25,505Greene County: 23,648 jobsGreene County23,648Robertson County: 21,636 jobsRobertson County21,636Roane County: 19,171 jobsRoane County19,171McMinn County: 17,937 jobsMcMinn County17,937Dickson County: 17,074 jobsDickson County17,074Cumberland County: 17,070 jobsCumberland County17,070Loudon County: 16,675 jobsLoudon County16,675Bedford County: 15,607 jobsBedford County15,607Dyer County: 14,616 jobsDyer County14,616Gibson County: 14,106 jobsGibson County14,106Monroe County: 13,806 jobsMonroe County13,806Jefferson County: 13,087 jobsJefferson County13,087Warren County: 12,448 jobsWarren County12,448Hawkins County: 11,791 jobsHawkins County11,791Tipton County: 11,351 jobsTipton County11,351Carter County: 11,273 jobsCarter County11,273Henry County: 10,997 jobsHenry County10,997Franklin County: 10,917 jobsFranklin County10,917Lawrence County: 10,723 jobsLawrence County10,723Weakley County: 10,715 jobsWeakley County10,715Davidson County: 479,643 jobsDavidson County479,643Shelby County: 477,083 jobsShelby County477,083Knox County: 232,376 jobsKnox County232,376Hamilton County: 199,009 jobsHamilton County199,009Williamson County: 135,131 jobsWilliamson County135,131Rutherford County: 128,934 jobsRutherford County128,934Sullivan County: 65,957 jobsSullivan County65,957Washington County: 59,261 jobsWashington County59,261Madison County: 57,348 jobsMadison County57,348Montgomery County: 55,398 jobsMontgomery County55,398Sumner County: 54,544 jobsSumner County54,544Wilson County: 50,782 jobsWilson County50,782Blount County: 48,928 jobsBlount County48,928Sevier County: 45,036 jobsSevier County45,036Bradley County: 43,511 jobsBradley County43,511Anderson County: 39,244 jobsAnderson County39,244Putnam County: 36,897 jobsPutnam County36,897Maury County: 35,189 jobsMaury County35,189Hamblen County: 31,300 jobsHamblen County31,300Coffee County: 25,505 jobsCoffee County25,505Greene County: 23,648 jobsGreene County23,648Robertson County: 21,636 jobsRobertson County21,636Roane County: 19,171 jobsRoane County19,171McMinn County: 17,937 jobsMcMinn County17,937Dickson County: 17,074 jobsDickson County17,074Cumberland County: 17,070 jobsCumberland County17,070Loudon County: 16,675 jobsLoudon County16,675Bedford County: 15,607 jobsBedford County15,607Dyer County: 14,616 jobsDyer County14,616Gibson County: 14,106 jobsGibson County14,106Monroe County: 13,806 jobsMonroe County13,806Jefferson County: 13,087 jobsJefferson County13,087Warren County: 12,448 jobsWarren County12,448Hawkins County: 11,791 jobsHawkins County11,791Tipton County: 11,351 jobsTipton County11,351Carter County: 11,273 jobsCarter County11,273Henry County: 10,997 jobsHenry County10,997Franklin County: 10,917 jobsFranklin County10,917Lawrence County: 10,723 jobsLawrence County10,723Weakley County: 10,715 jobsWeakley County10,715
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
jobs
Change on 2019
1Davidson County479,643-6.5%
2Shelby County477,083-5.2%
3Knox County232,376-3.4%
4Hamilton County199,009-4.4%
5Williamson County135,131-3.5%
6Rutherford County128,934-3.8%
7Sullivan County65,957-3.5%
8Washington County59,261-3.2%
9Madison County57,348-3.5%
10Montgomery County55,398-1.1%
11Sumner County54,544-2.3%
12Wilson County50,782+4.6%
13Blount County48,928-4.7%
14Sevier County45,036-8.4%
15Bradley County43,511-0.8%
16Anderson County39,244-1.5%
17Putnam County36,897-0.6%
18Maury County35,189-6.1%
19Hamblen County31,300-2.9%
20Coffee County25,505-2.5%
21Greene County23,648-5.9%
22Robertson County21,636-2%
23Roane County19,171+0.5%
24McMinn County17,937-4.8%
25Dickson County17,074-5.4%
26Cumberland County17,070-3.7%
27Loudon County16,675+2.7%
28Bedford County15,607-3.2%
29Dyer County14,616-4.7%
30Gibson County14,106-3.3%
31Monroe County13,806-4.3%
32Jefferson County13,087-1.5%
33Warren County12,448-1.3%
34Hawkins County11,791-6%
35Tipton County11,351+0.2%
36Carter County11,273-0.7%
37Henry County10,997-4.5%
38Franklin County10,917-5.6%
39Lawrence County10,723-1.6%
40Weakley County10,715-2.5%
41Obion County10,646-2.7%
42Rhea County10,133-4.9%
43Giles County9,477-6.2%
44Campbell County9,164-0.8%
45Marshall County8,943-8.2%
46Lincoln County8,812-12.1%
47Claiborne County8,701-5.6%
48Cheatham County8,548-2.1%
49Fayette County7,876-0.9%
50Hardin County7,829-1.8%
51Henderson County7,663-4.8%
52Marion County7,264-3.3%
53Cocke County7,156-6.4%
54White County6,903-5.5%
55Lauderdale County6,675-1.2%
56Hardeman County6,635-3.7%
57Carroll County6,553-2.2%
58Humphreys County5,790-2.8%
59Scott County5,414-6.3%
60DeKalb County5,409-4.6%
61McNairy County5,195-2.2%
62Fentress County5,041-1.1%
63Smith County4,938-2.8%
64Haywood County4,920+0.8%
65Overton County4,830-4.8%
66Macon County4,823-0.5%
67Unicoi County4,752-2.1%
68Johnson County4,250-0.1%
69Grainger County4,036+3.1%
70Benton County3,920-4.3%
71Wayne County3,829+2.8%
72Hickman County3,785+3%
73Crockett County3,731-0.7%
74Chester County3,541-4%
75Decatur County3,260-3.3%
76Morgan County3,110+2.4%
77Sequatchie County2,982-1.9%
78Lewis County2,850+3.7%
79Stewart County2,759-3%
80Union County2,449-0.6%
81Cannon County2,312+4.8%
82Polk County2,244-3.2%
83Moore County2,230+2.1%
84Meigs County2,138-2%
85Bledsoe County2,114-1.9%
86Grundy County2,053-0.7%
87Trousdale County1,793-6.8%
88Perry County1,584-11.7%
89Lake County1,537-4.3%
90Houston County1,445-3%
91Jackson County1,418+1.9%
92Clay County1,284-5.1%
93Pickett County957-5.9%
94Hancock County885-2.6%
95Van Buren County729-7.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW), 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW), 2020. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/tennessee-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/tennessee-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/tennessee-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_tennessee_by_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW), 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/tennessee-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Tennessee by covered employment (QCEW), 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/tennessee-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/covered-employment/tennessee-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2020/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest covered employment (QCEW)?

Davidson County, with 479,643 jobs in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest covered employment (QCEW)?

Van Buren County, with 729 jobs in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Covered employment (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings