The Best Employers in Tennessee?  Forbes Made a List

Rolling into Labor Day weekend makes it a great time to consider where the best places are to “labor. According to Forbes, there are some clear winners. 

Forbes recently released its rankings of the best companies to work for in the United States. This study was conducted in partnership with Statista to survey over 160,000 employees from companies with at least 500 employees, so small businesses did not get consideration.  The responses were tallied and incorporated into a scoring system with survey data from the past three years.

Though the unemployment rate has remained relatively constant, hovering around 4.2% over this past year, the rate of hiring has taken a dive, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,” the analysis stated.

So, who are the best employers in Tennessee in 2025?

The state rankings examine all companies that conduct business in Tennessee, including those that are not based in the state. These are the top five national employers in the state:

• Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, was founded in 1976.
• Google, headquartered in Mountain View, California, was founded in 1998.
• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was founded in 1794.
• Microsoft, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, was founded in 1975.
• Hilton Worldwide Holdings, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, was founded in 1919.

While the ranking examined all businesses operating in Tennessee, it also shows the location of each company’s headquarters. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was the top business in Tennessee that is actually headquartered here. UT ranks as the third-best employer by state in 2025 and the thirtieth-best school in the South, according to other Forbes rankings.

The list of the top ten employers in Tennessee showcases local companies to be proud of.

• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was founded in 1794.
• Maury Regional Medical Center, headquartered in Columbia, was founded in 1953.
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, headquartered in Memphis, was founded in 1962.
• Bridgestone, headquartered in Nashville, was founded in 1931.
• The Tennessee Valley Authority, headquartered in Knoxville, was founded in 1933.
• Covenant Health, headquartered in Knoxville, was founded in 1996.
• BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, headquartered in Chattanooga, was founded in 1945.
• University of Tennessee Medical Center, headquartered in Knoxville, was founded in 1956.
• Sumner County School District, headquartered in Gallatin, was founded in 1815.
• AutoZone, headquartered in Memphis, was founded in 1979

Now, get those resumes ready! But don’t overlook small businesses, there are great options there as well.

Steve Gill is the publisher and editor of TriStar Daily.