B2B cold email software in Tennessee
Verified federal data on the Tennessee business market, plus outreach guides for its largest cities and service industries. Acqro researches every company on your list and writes each email from what it finds.
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How many businesses are in Tennessee?
Tennessee had 150,129 business establishments in 2023, ranking 20th among the 50 states and DC, with 46,476 of them employing 10 to 249 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns. Acqro is AI cold email software that researches each of those companies before writing to them.
The Tennessee B2B market in numbers
- Business establishments
- 150,129+1.5% vs 2022Census CBP 2023
- Firms with 10–249 employees
- 46,476Census CBP 2023
- Paid employees
- 2,971,417Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $59,170Census CBP 2023
- Professional services firms
- 12,568Census CBP 2023, NAICS 54
- Share of US establishments
- 1.8%Census CBP 2023
68.1% of establishments in Tennessee have fewer than 10 employees, below the 73.0% share for the United States. The 46,476 establishments with 10 to 249 employees are where most B2B lists should start: large enough to have a budget and a defined buyer, small enough that an owner or department head still makes the call and reads their own email.
By employment, the largest sectors are health care and social assistance (15.3% of jobs) and manufacturing (12.0% of jobs). Relative to the national mix, management of companies and enterprises (4.0% locally against 2.8% nationally) and manufacturing (12.0% locally against 8.8% nationally) stand out, which makes them natural first segments for outbound.
The number of establishments changed by +1.5% between 2022 and 2023, faster than the +0.8% change for the United States. New and growing businesses are the accounts most likely to be choosing vendors for the first time, so pair that list with research on hiring, new locations and leadership changes before writing a single email.
Largest industries in Tennessee
Sectors ranked by paid employment, compared with the national mix.
| Sector | Establishments | Employees | Avg. annual pay | Share of jobs | US share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 17,524 | 455,877 | $67,563 | 15.3% | 15.8% |
| Manufacturing | 5,787 | 357,878 | $66,056 | 12.0% | 8.8% |
| Retail trade | 23,463 | 349,855 | $36,427 | 11.8% | 11.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 15,443 | 321,203 | $24,644 | 10.8% | 10.4% |
| Administrative, support and waste management services | 8,258 | 292,794 | $43,410 | 9.9% | 9.6% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 5,285 | 188,529 | $56,846 | 6.3% | 4.7% |
| Construction | 12,692 | 145,006 | $71,077 | 4.9% | 5.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 12,568 | 141,886 | $92,105 | 4.8% | 7.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 9,913 | 137,754 | $96,419 | 4.6% | 5.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 6,463 | 121,742 | $79,659 | 4.1% | 4.5% |
Where Tennessee businesses are concentrated
Counties ranked by number of business establishments.
| County | Establishments | Share of state | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson County | 22,122 | 14.7% | 526,927 |
| Shelby County | 19,359 | 12.9% | 446,048 |
| Knox County | 12,519 | 8.3% | 242,117 |
| Hamilton County | 9,883 | 6.6% | 205,761 |
| Williamson County | 8,707 | 5.8% | 149,544 |
| Rutherford County | 6,285 | 4.2% | 128,935 |
| Sumner County | 3,875 | 2.6% | 56,402 |
| Montgomery County | 3,428 | 2.3% | 53,777 |
| Sullivan County | 3,382 | 2.3% | 60,008 |
| Wilson County | 3,345 | 2.2% | 57,080 |
Cold email guides for Tennessee cities
Each guide covers the county that contains the city.
| City | County | Establishments in county |
|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | Hamilton County | 9,883 |
| Knoxville | Knox County | 12,519 |
| Memphis | Shelby County | 19,359 |
| Nashville | Davidson County | 22,122 |
B2B service industries in Tennessee
Establishment counts in Tennessee for the service industries Acqro customers work in. Each links to an outreach guide.
| Industry | Census industry (NAICS) | Establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Insurance Brokers | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 2,565 |
| Law Firms | Offices of Lawyers | 2,260 |
| Commercial Real Estate Brokers | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 1,637 |
| Commercial Cleaning Companies | Janitorial Services | 1,182 |
| Management Consultants | Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | 1,063 |
| Staffing Agencies | Temporary Help Services | 1,026 |
| CPA and Accounting Firms | Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 796 |
| SEO Agencies | Marketing Consulting Services | 701 |
| Software Development Agencies | Custom Computer Programming Services | 661 |
| Healthtech Vendors | Computer Systems Design Services | 645 |
| Logistics Providers | Freight Transportation Arrangement | 382 |
| Financial Advisory Firms | Investment Advice | 278 |
| Architecture Firms | Architectural Services | 277 |
| SaaS Companies | Software Publishers | 261 |
| Commercial Waste Services | Solid Waste Collection | 251 |
| Office Design Firms | Interior Design Services | 241 |
| Video Production Companies | Motion Picture and Video Production | 221 |
| Marketing Agencies | Advertising Agencies | 203 |
| Corporate Caterers | Caterers | 190 |
| HR Consultancies | Human Resources Consulting Services | 137 |
| Cybersecurity Firms | Other Computer Related Services | 110 |
| Corporate Training Providers | Professional and Management Development Training | 108 |
| PR Agencies | Public Relations Agencies | 107 |
| Payroll Providers | Payroll Services | 102 |
| Event Management Companies | Convention and Trade Show Organizers | 96 |
| Merchant Services Providers | Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities | 85 |
| Managed Service Providers | Computer Facilities Management Services | 84 |
| Business Telecom and VoIP Providers | Telecommunications Resellers | 50 |
| Executive Search Firms | Executive Search Services | 43 |
| Translation Services | Translation and Interpretation Services | 15 |
Cold email in Tennessee, answered
How many businesses are in Tennessee?
Tennessee had 150,129 business establishments in 2023, employing 2,971,417 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What are the largest industries in Tennessee?
By paid employment in 2023: health care and social assistance (15.3% of jobs), manufacturing (12.0% of jobs) and retail trade (11.8% of jobs). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Guides for Tennessee
Other states
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
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