Jobs & Economy in Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro's economy runs through a genuinely diversified base -- Middle Tennessee State University as a major direct employer and a massive indirect economic-impact driver, large-scale manufacturing and logistics employment nearby, and a real, low regional unemployment rate -- rather than a single-employer or purely commuter-driven profile.
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Learn moreMTSU: a real, large direct employer and an outsized economic-impact driver
MTSU reported a Fall 2025 census enrollment of 20,930 students, up 2.37% year-over-year, and directly employs roughly 2,205 people, per its own reporting. Beyond direct employment, MTSU generates more than $15.2 billion in statewide business revenue annually, with Rutherford County specifically recording over $4.1 billion in annual business revenue attributable to MTSU alumni -- and MTSU produces one in six college graduates working in the greater Nashville region, making it the area's top single provider of college-educated workers.
Major employers span manufacturing, logistics, government, and healthcare
Beyond MTSU, the area's major employers include Nissan North America's assembly plant in nearby Smyrna (roughly 8,000 employees, one of the largest auto plants in North America), Rutherford County Government and Schools (7,441 employees), Amazon's Rutherford County fulfillment center (roughly 2,700 positions), and Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital -- a genuinely diversified employment base spanning manufacturing, logistics, government/education, and healthcare rather than a single dominant industry.
Health care, retail, and education are the largest sector categories locally
Health care, retail trade, and education are cited among Murfreesboro's largest employment sectors -- consistent with the presence of MTSU (education) and Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital (healthcare) as major local anchors, alongside the retail base serving the city's substantial and growing population.
Rutherford County's 2026 unemployment rate has stayed consistently low
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development data put Rutherford County's unemployment rate at 2.7% in December 2025, 2.8% in April 2026, 2.6% in May 2026, and 3.1% in June 2026 -- a real, current, consistently low range relative to state and national figures, per WGNS Radio's reporting on the state's monthly labor-force estimates.
Key takeaways
- MTSU's Fall 2025 enrollment reached 20,930 (up 2.37% YoY), with roughly 2,205 direct MTSU employees; the university generates more than $15.2 billion in statewide business revenue annually and produces 1 in 6 college graduates working in the greater Nashville region.
- Major area employers span manufacturing (Nissan's ~8,000-employee Smyrna plant), government/education (Rutherford County Government and Schools, 7,441 employees), logistics (Amazon fulfillment, ~2,700 positions), and healthcare (Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital) -- a genuinely diversified base.
- Health care, retail trade, and education are cited among the largest local employment sectors.
- Rutherford County's 2026 unemployment rate has run in a consistently low ~2.6%-3.1% range across the year, per Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development data.
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