Nashville’s factory scene just got a fresh scorecard. A newly beefed-up online ranking now tracks more than 100 local manufacturers by how many people they employ in the region, highlighting a year of expansion that keeps assembly lines and shop floors squarely at the heart of Middle Tennessee’s economy. The updated rundown offers a clear look at where the jobs are, who is staffing the auto supply chain, and which corners of the metro are hungriest for workers.
The annual “largest manufacturing companies” package from the Nashville Business Journal has been significantly expanded online, growing to 135 firms ranked by local headcount. According to the outlet, totals were pulled from company representatives, corporate websites, and third-party sources, with ties broken by overall companywide employment and then by alphabetical order. The digital list stretches well beyond the roughly 30 manufacturers featured in this week’s print edition and covers plants and factories across nine counties in the metro area.
Government labor data backs up how big that footprint really is. As of December 2025, the Nashville metro supported about 88,500 manufacturing jobs, based on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ FRED database, which compiles figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Auto and parts operations carry a lot of that weight. Nissan’s Smyrna assembly complex alone accounts for roughly 8,500 local jobs, according to a Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development report. With numbers like that, it tracks that suppliers, tire makers, and food processors crowd the upper tiers of the new ranking.
Auto suppliers, tires and food plants dominate
The expanded list sticks with a familiar storyline. Middle Tennessee’s industrial backbone is built around vehicle assembly and a deep supplier network, joined by large food and consumer-goods plants. Local economic groups point to Nissan, Bridgestone, and a wide array of Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers as the core of that ecosystem, which in turn fuels demand for welders, machinists, and logistics workers, according to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Many of the heaviest hitters cluster in Rutherford, Wilson, and Davidson counties, where industrial parks, infrastructure, and training programs have been built out to match.
What to watch: jobs, training and investment
For job seekers and workforce groups, this ranking doubles as a practical field guide. The largest manufacturers already work closely with technical colleges and training centers to staff roles in robotics, mechatronics, and industrial maintenance. Local efforts such as Rutherford Works and industry-supported training hubs at TCAT and MTSU have been laying that groundwork for years. Economic-development officials say the expanded roster will help them zero in on where to direct apprenticeships, incentives, and site-selection support as Middle Tennessee chases more EV supply-chain projects and other major industrial investments.
In short, the Business Journal’s broader list gives companies, job seekers, and local leaders a sharper snapshot of which plants are hiring and where the region’s industrial muscle is most concentrated. To dig into the full rankings and methodology, head to the Nashville Business Journal. Expect the lineup to keep shifting as new capital projects and EV-related deals land across Middle Tennessee.
