Nashvilleruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Healthcare management
HCA Healthcare, Community Health Systems, Brookdale, Ardent Health, Envision
Nashville is where the American for-profit hospital industry was invented and it remains headquartered here — hundreds of healthcare companies, in a state that declined to expand Medicaid.
Music & entertainment
UMG Nashville, Sony Music Nashville, Big Machine, BMI, ASCAP, Ryman Hospitality
Music Row's publishers and studios are the country music business, but the sector is broader than country now — the session and production infrastructure serves every genre.
Automotive manufacturing
Nissan North America, General Motors Spring Hill, Ultium Cells, Bridgestone Americas
Nissan's North American headquarters sits in Franklin and its Smyrna plant is among the highest-volume vehicle assembly plants in the US; GM's Spring Hill site builds EVs with a battery joint venture beside it.
Technology & corporate relocations
Oracle, Amazon, AllianceBernstein, Asurion, Built Technologies
Oracle's Nashville Yards campus on the riverfront was the largest single corporate commitment in the city's history, and Amazon's operations centre sits in the same development.
Higher education & research
Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Belmont, Fisk, Meharry Medical College
Vanderbilt and VUMC together are the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, and Meharry is one of the oldest and largest historically Black medical schools in the country.
Retail & consumer headquarters
Dollar General, Tractor Supply, Cracker Barrel, Delek US, LifePoint
A cluster of national retail and consumer brands headquarters in the Nashville suburbs — Goodlettsville, Brentwood and Franklin — attracted by no income tax and low costs.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.