Tennessee cities rank well for self-employed workers
Nashville ranks #15 among cities in terms of the percentage of the population that is self-employed. Knoxville and Chattanooga rank #4 and #5 respectively on a national basis in terms of the income difference between self-employed individuals and all workers.
A recent report from ChamberofCommerce.org had some interesting information about self-employed individuals in the Volunteer State.
- Nashville was tied with Atlanta at 12.5 percent of the total population that identifies as self-employed even though, for some reason, Music City was ranked #15 while Atlanta was #14.
- Two East Tennessee cities – Knoxville and Chattanooga – ranked #4 and #5 respectively on a national basis in terms of the income difference between self-employed individuals and all workers. In Knoxville, the difference was $24,758 while it was $23,167 in Chattanooga. Nashville ranked #12, reporting a difference of $14,737.
Overall, there are 89 cities across the U.S. where self-employed workers earn more than the median income.
To determine the rankings, ChamberofCommerce.org analyzed the class of workers among those employed ages 16 and older in the most populated 170 census-defined places via the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. We then analyzed median earnings for workers ages 16 and older. Data for self-employed workers include both self-employed working in incorporated businesses as well as unincorporated businesses. ChamberofCommerce.org compared the median income for those within both incorporated and unincorporated businesses in order to find the average income for self-employed workers. In order to determine which cities have the most self-employed women, the site calculated the percentage of all females within the workforce who are self-employed.
