Employment Indicators for Shelby County, Tennessee (2024)

Total Employed

426,285
Civilian 16+

Private For-Profit

71.4 %
Largest Sector

Self-Employed

5.5%
Entrepreneurship

Government

13.8%
Public Sector

Shelby County, Tennessee Workforce by Sector & Gender

Employment sector breakdown by gender in
Figure 1: Male vs Female participation in employment sectors (2024).

Shelby County, Tennessee Employment Sector Breakdown

SectorTotal WorkersPercentage
Private For-Profit304,25471.4%
Government58,83113.8%
Self-Employed23,3395.5%
Private Non-Profit38,8519.1%

Shelby County, Tennessee Gender Ratio Analysis by Employment Sector (2024)

SectorMale:Female Ratio
Private For-Profit1.09:1
Government0.66:1
Self-Employed1.70:1

Shelby County, Tennessee Employment Trends (2010–2024)

Long-term employment trends in

Shelby County, Tennessee Historical Employment Sector Trends

YearPrivateGovSelf-EmpNon-Profit
202471.4%13.8%5.5%9.1%
202371.7%13.3%5.6%9.2%
202272.3%12.9%5.3%9.2%
202172.5%13.0%5.0%9.2%
202072.6%13.0%5.0%9.2%
201973.7%12.7%5.0%8.5%
201873.9%12.9%5.0%8.1%
201773.3%13.4%5.1%8.2%
201672.9%13.8%5.1%8.1%
201572.5%13.9%5.1%8.4%
201471.6%14.4%5.3%8.6%
201371.2%14.8%5.3%8.7%
201271.3%14.7%5.3%8.6%
201171.2%14.9%5.3%8.5%
201071.6%14.8%5.4%8.1%

Employment Sector FAQs for Shelby County, Tennessee

The largest employment sector in Shelby County, Tennessee is Private For-Profit, which employs 71.4% of the local workforce.

There are approximately 426,285 civilian workers aged 16 and over currently employed in Shelby County, Tennessee.

In the private for-profit sector, the male-to-female ratio is 1.09:1. This metric helps highlight gender participation across the most prominent industry classes.

Since 2010, the total number of workers in Shelby County, Tennessee has shown an increase, moving from 418,387 to 426,285 according to Census Bureau records.