The Middle Tennessee region is expected to add 148,000 people + 88,000 new jobs in the next five years.

This is just one revelation from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce's 2021 Vital Signs Report, released yesterday. The annual report — created in partnership with the Greater Nashville Regional Council — monitors issues impacting Middle Tennessee’s quality of life + economic well-being.
This year’s report addresses four issues impacting the region:

Workforce and economic development
Transportation and infrastructure
Housing
Childcare

The chamber paired US Census data with original survey data collected from 3,100 Middle Tennessee residents.

Here are the biggest takeaways:

Workforce

Within the next year, 80% of respondents feel their personal financial status will be as good or better than it had been before COVID-19.
140,000+ Middle Tennessee jobs have been recovered as of October 2021.
Nashville MSA ranked No. 8 in US job growth for large metros.

Childcare

27% of respondents have access to childcare benefits provided by their employer.
Among those without childcare, 55.4% reported affordability + 12.4% reported availability as barriers.

Housing affordability

58% of respondents spend more than 30% of take home pay on rent or mortgage payments.
29% of those surveyed plan to move within the year — when asked why, 14.5% said it's due to rising housing costs.

Transportation

70% said transportation problems are a moderate or significant threat to the region's economy.
Nearly 80% of respondents support dedicated lanes for transit vehicles.
39.6% think it is extremely important for public officials to offer plans to fund transportation improvements.
Those surveyed want city streets, highways between cities + public transit to receive the most attention in 2022.

Read the full report — including additional data and next steps for each issue — here or at the button below.