How many sign shops are in Tennessee, and what do they pay?
Where Tennessee sits in the state ranking
| # | State | Sign shops | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | North Carolina | 2,207 | $58,521 | |
| 11 | New Jersey | 2,078 | $73,891 | |
| 12 | Tennessee | 2,042 | $59,704 | |
| 13 | South Carolina | 1,714 | $60,959 | |
| 14 | Colorado | 1,517 | $58,968 |
Every state's shop count, ranked, is on the home page. The most shops: Texas with 748. U.S. total: 7,672 shops, 76,766 employees, $65,386 average pay.
Sign shops in Tennessee since 2014
Tennessee had 103 sign shops in 2014 and 179 in 2025, 76 more. Average pay moved from $39,691 to $59,704, up 50.4%. Every state's pay, ranked, is on the sign maker salary page.
| Year | Sign shops | Employees | Weekly pay | Annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 179 | 2,042 | $1,148 | $59,704 |
| 2024 | 184 | 2,038 | $1,110 | $57,722 |
| 2023 | 167 | 2,006 | $1,115 | $57,955 |
| 2022 | 157 | 1,912 | $999 | $51,931 |
| 2021 | 144 | 1,784 | $981 | $50,991 |
| 2020 | 139 | 1,793 | $966 | $50,243 |
| 2019 | 131 | 1,940 | $890 | $46,265 |
| 2018 | 131 | 1,798 | $868 | $45,136 |
| 2017 | 120 | 1,733 | $900 | $46,778 |
| 2016 | 114 | 1,737 | $837 | $43,513 |
| 2015 | 103 | 1,593 | $781 | $40,605 |
| 2014 | 103 | 1,467 | $763 | $39,691 |
Sign shops by metro area in Tennessee
The largest metro areas touching Tennessee, from the BLS 2024 metro figures, the latest year published for metro areas. A metro area that crosses a state line is counted whole. "Concentration" compares sign shops' share of the area's private employers with their share nationally (1.00× = the national share).
| Metro area | Sign shops | Employees | Avg pay | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville area | 58 | — | — | 1.19× |
| Knoxville area | 30 | — | — | 1.77× |
| Memphis areaTennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas | 22 | 168 | $45,112 | 1.08× |
| Chattanooga areaTennessee, Georgia | 18 | — | — | 1.69× |
| Clarksville areaTennessee, Kentucky | 6 | — | — | 1.25× |
| Kingsport areaTennessee, Virginia | 6 | — | — | 1.24× |
| Jackson area | 5 | — | — | 1.68× |
| Cleveland area | 3 | — | — | 1.69× |
| Johnson City area | 3 | — | — | 0.93× |
| Morristown area | 2 | — | — | 1.22× |
Every metro area, ranked by sign shops.
Putting up a sign in Tennessee
The shops counted here sell into cities that each permit signs under their own code, and the permit is usually the longest step in a sign job. For the largest local market in these figures, PrinterFlo's summary of the sign rules in Memphis sets out what needs a permit, the size limits and what the city checks before a sign goes up.
Common questions
How many sign shops are in Tennessee?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 179 sign manufacturing establishments in Tennessee in 2025 (annual average, private employers), ranking Tennessee 12 of 51 states. Together they employed 2,042 people, about 11.4 per shop.
How much do sign makers make in Tennessee?
Average annual pay across Tennessee's sign shops was $59,704 in 2025, 9% below the U.S. sign industry average of $65,386. That is total payroll divided by employment, so it blends fabricators, designers, installers and owners on payroll.
What counts as a sign shop in these figures?
An establishment with payroll classified under NAICS 339950, Sign Manufacturing: businesses whose main activity is making signs, including electric and non-electric signs, channel letters, printed banners and vehicle graphics. Print shops, engravers and installation contractors classified under other codes are not included, and neither are owner-only shops with no employees.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), annual averages, private ownership, NAICS 339950 Sign Manufacturing, Tennessee, 2014 to 2025 annual averages (metro areas 2024), read September 24, 2026. Average pay = total annual wages ÷ annual average employment. Ranks computed from the 51 states with a published establishment count.