Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Morristown, TN MSA — October 2026
Morristown's factories hold jobs, but wage momentum shifts to trucking and trades.
Hamblen County unemployment sits near 3.7% against a national 4.1%, yet local manufacturing pay is down moderately while CDL driver pay ($83,200) and electrician pay post the metro's strongest gains.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Hamblen County unemployment: 3.7% — vs. 4.1% national, 3.4% Tennessee
- Manufacturing workforce share: 24%+ — Hamblen County, ~100 manufacturers
- Tennessee avg. hourly wage: $25.79 — vs. $30.19 national average
- Statewide manufacturing employment: -1.7% — Year-over-year, TDLWD data
Key takeaways
Manufacturing's wage signal diverges from its employment signal.
Hamblen County's unemployment rate remains low and manufacturing still accounts for over 24% of the workforce, yet local production-worker pay has moved down moderately while statewide manufacturing employment slipped 1.7% over the year. The combination suggests softening demand within the sector even as headline joblessness stays low — a distinction economic development messaging should reflect carefully.
Logistics and trades pay are pulling ahead of factory-floor roles.
CDL truck driver pay in the metro ($83,200) now exceeds the national median, and construction laborer and electrician pay both show moderate-to-significant local gains. For a metro built on manufacturing identity, this reallocation of wage momentum toward transport and skilled trades is a meaningful shift worth tracking in local economic positioning.
State wage growth still trails the nation by nearly $4.50 an hour.
Tennessee's $25.79 average hourly wage remains well below the $30.19 national figure, even as the state's 3.4% unemployment rate outperforms the 4.2% national rate. Low joblessness paired with a persistent wage gap is consistent with a labor market that is tight on availability but has not yet translated that tightness into broad wage catch-up.
Local data lag limits real-time read on this fall's momentum.
Morristown's most current official unemployment figure (3.60%) dates to July, with no October-specific layoff or expansion announcements surfaced for the metro this month. Commerce leaders making near-term investment or infrastructure decisions should treat current readings as directional guidance pending updated figures.
Median advertised pay by role — Morristown, TN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,636 | $26,000 | $28,080 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $19,896 | $23,920 | $24,960 | Stable | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $32,192 | $37,568 | $38,329 | Stable | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $57,200 | $83,200 | $93,600 | Moderate increase | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $29,380 | $32,848 | $36,400 | Moderate increase | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $30,204 | $38,480 | $41,600 | Moderate increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $50,703 | $65,745 | $66,736 | Significant increase | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,926 | $35,024 | $38,105 | Moderate decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $35,093 | $35,883 | $39,000 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,948 | $31,408 | $32,240 | Moderate increase | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $32,804 | $34,110 | $35,317 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $30,427 | $35,840 | $37,502 | Moderate decline | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician * | $54,080 | $64,972 | $67,547 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $76,173 | $86,153 | $92,819 | Moderate increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $87,360 | $166,018 | $183,071 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $90,454 | $130,000 | $145,000 | Moderate increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $66,282 | $73,740 | $82,500 | Moderate decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $100,600 | $107,909 | $111,155 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $55,705 | $106,909 | $106,909 | Stable | $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 | $29,619 | $47,148 | $53,484 | Stable | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $52,588 | $138,657 | $141,322 | 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 | $62,186 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $68,489 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $33,795 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $38,869 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Information | $43,524 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $45,760 | Stable | Significant decline |
| Professional & Business Services | $62,400 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $67,698 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $30,346 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Government | $63,039 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Hamblen County's unemployment rate held near 3.7% through midyear 2026, well below the national 4.1% rate, as manufacturing continues to anchor a workforce where nearly 100 manufacturers employ roughly a quarter of the county's labor force. Statewide wage growth to $25.79 per hour trails the national average of $30.19, and local manufacturing pay for production workers and assemblers has moved down moderately even as construction labor and CDL driver pay rise, suggesting demand is shifting toward logistics and skilled trades faster than toward factory-floor roles.
What it means
Morristown's labor market reflects a Tennessee-wide pattern: tight unemployment coexists with cooling momentum in manufacturing and construction, sectors long considered the metro's backbone. For commerce and economic development leaders evaluating site-selection pitches or expansion incentives, the relevant signal is a reallocation of advertised pay toward logistics, trades, and healthcare alongside traditional production roles. Current conditions suggest monitoring whether local wage trends in manufacturing (down moderately) reflect softening output or a broader statewide contraction before using employment stability as the sole case for new industrial investment.
Looking ahead
Data lag watch: October MSA-level unemployment and wage figures have not yet been released by BLS; the most recent confirmed metro data is from July 2026. Government economists and commerce leaders relying on this report for planning should flag any decision tied to current-month precision.
Sector divergence: Statewide manufacturing contraction (-1.7% year-over-year) alongside Morristown's continued concentration in that sector is worth monitoring for signs of whether the trend is cyclical or structural. A continued decline in local manufacturing advertised pay over the next two reporting cycles would be a more telling signal than the unemployment rate alone.
Early indicator: Statewide TNTalent funding for nuclear, AI infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing could eventually touch East Tennessee's industrial base given the region's manufacturing density. Watch for any announced program activity or training partnerships involving Walters State Community College or the TN College of Applied Technology.
Comparative benchmark: Tennessee's 3.4% unemployment rate has now held for three straight months against a national rate of 4.1-4.2%. Continued state-level stability alongside softening manufacturing wages locally suggests the next read to watch is whether Hamblen County's own unemployment rate holds or begins drifting upward when Q3 county data is released.
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Hamblen County unemployment rate near 3.7% in July 2026
- Local economic development research — Manufacturing represents over 24% of Hamblen County workforce
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Tennessee manufacturing employment declined 1.7% year-over-year
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Tennessee average hourly wage $25.79 vs. national $30.19
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Tennessee unemployment held at 3.4% for three consecutive months
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — TNTalent program launched with $5M federal funding for workforce development
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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