Among the 318 major metropolitan areas in the United States, employment grew in 2017 in 164 metro areas, including most of the major metro cities in the Mid-South region. From December 2016 to December 2017, the fastest growing metro areas in the region for job growth were:
1. Chattanooga, 6,300 more jobs, or 2.88 percent growth
2. Huntsville, Ala., 6,200 more jobs, or 2.7 percent growth
3. Atlanta, 55,600 more jobs, or 2.03 percent growth
4. Nashville, 17,300 more jobs, or 1.79 percent growth
5. Knoxville, 2,100 more jobs, or 0.53 percent growth
6. Birmingham, Ala., 1,300 more jobs, or 0.24 percent growth
7. Memphis, 1,800 more jobs, or 0.27 percent growth
8. Dalton, Ga., 600 more jobs, or 0.86 percent growth
9. Cleveland, Tenn., 200 more jobs, or 0.37 percent growth
10. Kingsport, 200 fewer jobs, or a 0.17 percent decline
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employees on non-farm payrolls in each metropolitan area, comparing December 2017 to December 2016.