Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Jackson, TN MSA — October 2026
Jackson manufacturing draws capital as local joblessness lags the state.
Jackson's 3.9% unemployment rate trails Tennessee's 3.4% statewide figure even as roughly $64 million in new manufacturing investment from Siemens Healthineers, Sam Dong, and ArtiCast Jackson signals continued confidence in the metro's industrial base.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Jackson metro unemployment: 3.9% — vs. 3.4% statewide Tennessee, July 2026
- Madison County unemployment: 4.3% — August 2026, softer than metro-wide July figure
- Local manufacturing wage (metal/product cluster): $98,012 — avg. annual wage, 1,650 workers
- Statewide manufacturing employment change: -1.7% — past 12 months, Tennessee (TDLWD)
Key takeaways
Local joblessness runs above the state average.
Jackson's 3.9% unemployment rate compares to Tennessee's 3.4% statewide figure, an unusual gap for a metro inside one of the tightest state labor markets in the country. That slack may reflect the metro's slower 0.2% annual employment growth, with labor force participation holding steady.
Manufacturing investment is arriving despite a statewide manufacturing contraction.
Siemens Healthineers, Sam Dong, and ArtiCast Jackson have announced a combined $64 million in local investment even as Tennessee manufacturing employment fell 1.7% over the past year. Commerce and economic development leaders should treat this as evidence the metro's industrial base is drawing capital even where the broader sector is contracting.
Wage levels well below state and national medians may be doing real work.
Madison County's $57,114 average annual wage sits below Tennessee's already-discounted wage profile relative to the national average ($25.79/hour state vs. $30.19 national). Lower local wage costs appear to be part of what continues to draw capital-intensive manufacturing investment to the metro, a factor worth weighing in any business climate narrative.
Customer service and administrative pay are climbing faster than most local roles.
Advertised pay for Customer Service Representatives rose significantly locally to $35,404, and Administrative Assistant pay rose moderately to $35,841 — among the sharpest local wage movements this month. These figures reflect job ads, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), and the pattern is consistent with employers across sectors competing more actively for office-support and service talent even as overall metro employment growth stays modest.
Median advertised pay by role — Jackson, TN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,677 | $27,110 | $30,586 | Moderate decline | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $24,268 | $27,040 | $29,227 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $30,436 | $37,440 | $41,080 | Moderate increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,200 | $80,600 | $90,000 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $30,911 | $34,293 | $41,600 | Stable | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $29,526 | $38,503 | $41,034 | Moderate decline | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $49,920 | $62,500 | $71,801 | Moderate increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,403 | $34,885 | $37,987 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,959 | $35,404 | $37,347 | Significant increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker * | $27,231 | $30,783 | $33,280 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $30,296 | $34,320 | $37,440 | Moderate decline | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $29,120 | $35,841 | $39,150 | Moderate increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $61,257 | $68,593 | $72,800 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $78,832 | $98,862 | $105,898 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer * | $110,570 | $149,094 | $164,580 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $90,454 | $130,000 | $145,000 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $54,677 | $58,739 | $62,378 | Moderate increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $68,990 | $88,650 | $95,191 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $53,341 | $63,836 | $73,043 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,800 | $61,238 | $70,836 | Moderate increase | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $63,541 | $77,928 | $84,043 | Moderate increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $34,230 | $55,426 | $66,550 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $56,500 | $88,266 | $94,762 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $50,422 | $63,496 | $68,685 | Moderate decline | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $76,636 | $93,600 | $105,425 | Moderate decline | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $67,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $58,569 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $32,194 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $59,739 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $55,315 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $50,108 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $56,160 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $63,226 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $31,576 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $63,068 | Significant increase | Significant decline |
Local market conditions
Jackson's July 2026 unemployment rate of 3.9% sits a half-point below year-ago levels but still trails Tennessee's statewide 3.4%, a gap consistent with Madison County's softer 4.3% August reading and modest 0.2% annual employment growth. Manufacturing remains the metro's structural anchor — led by a Metal & Product cluster averaging $98,012 in annual wages — even as statewide manufacturing employment contracted 1.7% over the past year, a divergence that local capital investment announcements from Sam Dong, Siemens Healthineers, and ArtiCast Jackson appear to be offsetting.
What it means
Divergence between Jackson's unemployment rate and the state's tighter 3.4% figure suggests the metro has more labor market slack than Tennessee overall, which is consistent with room for expansion-minded employers to find workers without the acute competition seen in Nashville or Chattanooth. Recent capital commitments — roughly $64 million combined across three announced projects — signal continued confidence in the metro's manufacturing and advanced-production base even as statewide manufacturing employment softens, a split worth tracking for site-selection and investment timing. Commerce leaders evaluating business climate signals should consider that local wage levels (Madison County average $57,114) sit well below Tennessee's already-below-national wage profile, a cost position that may continue to attract capital-intensive investment even if it complicates local purchasing power.
Looking ahead
Data release to watch: October 2026 BLS metro-level unemployment figures for Jackson have not yet published; when released, they will show whether the July-to-October trend continued narrowing the gap with Tennessee's 3.4% statewide rate or widened it.
Investment follow-through: Announced projects from Siemens Healthineers, Sam Dong, and ArtiCast Jackson represent roughly 210 combined jobs on paper; watch for permitting, construction, and hiring timelines that would signal these commitments are converting into measurable local employment gains.
Early indicator: Statewide manufacturing employment fell 1.7% over the past year while Jackson's metal and product manufacturing cluster shows high average wages ($98,012); a continued state-local divergence would suggest the metro's industrial base is more resilient than Tennessee's broader manufacturing sector.
Policy signal: Tennessee's TNTalent program, backed by $5 million in federal funding for nuclear energy, AI infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing workforce development, may create downstream opportunities for Jackson-area training partnerships given the metro's existing manufacturing base.
Sources
- USA Facts / Bureau of Labor Statistics — Jackson, TN area unemployment rate was 3.9% in July 2026
- Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) / BLS — Madison County unemployment rate was 4.3% in August 2026
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Tennessee manufacturing jobs slipped 1.7% over past year
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development / local news — Siemens Healthineers, Sam Dong, ArtiCast Jackson investment announcements
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Tennessee unemployment rate held at 3.4% for three months
- State of Tennessee — TNTalent program launched with $5 million federal funding
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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