AI SUMMARY

The Tri-Cities job market is flat so far this year. Payrolls in both metro areas are within a few hundred jobs of a year ago. Kingsport-Bristol has a better year-to-date market. Its job count is up slightly, while Johnson City’s is down slightly, and its gains reach more sectors.

Health care is doing most of the hiring in both metros. It posted the largest single gain of any sector in Kingsport-Bristol and added jobs in Johnson City as well. Leisure and hospitality also grew in both. Retail, shipping, and information cooled. Professional and business services is the one sector to watch. It is growing in Kingsport-Bristol and trails last year in Johnson City, though Johnson City’s count has climbed since January. Reviewed by CoreData.

By DON FENLEY

The Tri-Cities job market is holding steady in 2026. It is not growing, and it is not shrinking. Kingsport-Bristol has a slight edge over Johnson City. In both metros, the same sector is doing most of the hiring. That sector is healthcare.

Health care is doing the hiring

Private education and health services added jobs in Johnson City. It posted the single largest gain of any sector in Kingsport-Bristol. Health care is now the second-largest source of jobs in Kingsport-Bristol, close behind manufacturing.

The reason is steady and easy to see. The region’s population is aging. Older residents use more medical care. Hospital systems keep hiring to meet that demand. This has been the most dependable source of new jobs in the Tri-Cities for years, and nothing in the current data points to a slowdown.

The overall count barely moved

Step back to the full picture and little has changed. The Johnson City metro area averaged slightly fewer jobs than a year ago through the first five months of this year. Kingsport-Bristol averaged slightly more. In May, both metros landed within 100 jobs of their May 2025 counts.

Payrolls in both metros rose from January to May. That climb is mostly seasonal. Hiring picks up every spring. The cleaner read compares the same months across years and averages the year to date. On that basis, both metros are flat.

Year-to-date figures are the January-May average, in thousands of jobs.

Which metro is doing better

On the year-to-date numbers, Kingsport-Bristol has the edge. Its job count is up slightly from a year ago. Johnson City’s is down slightly. The gap is small, and both metros are close to flat. Still, Kingsport-Bristol’s gains reach more of the economy. Health care, professional services, and leisure all added jobs there. Johnson City’s gains are thinner, and its professional services base trails last year. That broader footing gives Kingsport-Bristol the stronger year-to-date market of the two.

One sector worth watching

Professional and business services is moving in different directions in the two metros. That makes it worth watching. The sector is growing in Kingsport-Bristol. In Johnson City, it trails last year. The Johnson City picture is more mixed than the yearly average suggests. The count there has climbed steadily since January. It simply has not caught up to the high mark it hit last spring.

These are white-collar and support roles, such as consulting, staffing, and accounting. Swings in a sector this size can reflect normal churn as much as any real trend. It is too early to call the Johnson City gap a lasting shift. The next few months will tell.

What is cooling off

A few sectors gave ground in both metros. Retail trade slipped. So did transportation and utilities. Information edged down, though that sector is small enough that the change means little.

The softness in retail and shipping is not unique to the Tri-Cities. National payroll data show the same pattern, with store and warehouse hiring off its earlier highs. The local numbers appear to track that national trend rather than signal a problem specific to the region.

Manufacturing and construction held steady

Manufacturing is the largest private employer in Kingsport-Bristol. It ran a touch below last year over the winter, then firmed up by May. Johnson City’s smaller factory base held flat. Construction was steady in both metros, supported by ongoing homebuilding and commercial work.

Restaurants and hotels kept hiring

Leisure and hospitality added jobs in both metros. Spring travel and dining gave the sector its usual lift. This work swings with the seasons. The summer months will show whether the gains hold.

Government held its ground

Public payrolls need a separate read. School-calendar swings distort the monthly numbers and are not economic signals. Set those aside, and government employment was close to steady in both metros through the year to date.

What it means if you are job hunting

For anyone looking for work, the pattern is clear. Health care and hospitality are the sectors adding jobs right now. Retail and shipping are not. The regional economy is stable rather than growing, so competition for openings is real. The best odds sit where the hiring is. In 2026 that means hospitals, clinics, restaurants and hotels.

Johnson City, TN MSA — jobs by sector

January-May average, in thousands of jobs. Sorted by 2026 size; government shown separately.

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA — jobs by sector

January-May average, in thousands of jobs. Sorted by 2026 size; government shown separately.

Categories: LABOR MARKET