Department of Numbers

Memphis, Tennessee Job Growth

There were 666,900 jobs in Memphis, Tennessee in September 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 601,112 employed persons for the month. Memphis added 3,900 jobs in September 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment fell by 370 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Memphis job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey September 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 666,900 +3,900 +2,200
CPS 601,112 -370 +64

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Memphis, Tennessee Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Memphis as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Memphis, Tennessee

CES employment for Memphis peaked in February 2023 at 671,900. Since then 5,000 jobs have been lost in Memphis according to the employer survey. From a trough of 663,000 in August 2023, Memphis has gained 3,900 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 619,153 for Memphis in September 2019. 18,041 jobs have been lost in Memphis since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 529,690, Memphis has added 71,422 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through September 2023

Memphis, Tennessee Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
September 2023 666,900 3,900 601,112 -370
August 2023 663,000 -1,500 601,482 -1,311
July 2023 664,500 200 602,793 332
June 2023 664,300 -1,400 602,461 405
May 2023 665,700 -700 602,056 256
April 2023 666,400 -3,900 601,800 652
March 2023 670,300 -1,600 601,148 1,430
February 2023 671,900 2,800 599,718 975
January 2023 669,100 2,800 598,743 -203
December 2022 666,300 -1,000 598,946 268
November 2022 667,300 3,600 598,678 -358
October 2022 663,700 -1,000 599,036 -2,012