Understanding the Southeast US largest employers is one of the clearest ways to gauge the strength of a regional job market. Our group focuses primarily on acquiring multifamily, self-storage, and car wash assets in the Southeast US, in addition to running our debt fund and lending business, which provides loans regularly across the region. We live and work in these markets every day, and we track employment trends closely because job growth is one of the strongest indicators of a market’s long-term health. Below is an updated, 2026 look at some of the largest employers in five key Southeast states, so you can get a better sense of employer diversity across the region.
Southeast US Largest Employers by State
Florida
Publix Super Markets – Southeast US regional grocery chain headquartered in Lakeland, now employing more than 260,000 people and recognized as the largest employee-owned company in the country.
Hillsborough County Public Schools – The largest employer in Hillsborough County, with more than 25,000 employees serving the greater Tampa area.
AdventHealth Orlando – Formerly known as Florida Hospital, this medical system now employs close to 10,000 people at its Orlando campus, part of the broader AdventHealth network of more than 37,000 employees.
Orange County Public Schools – One of the largest employers in Central Florida, with more than 23,000 team members serving the Orlando area.
Naval Air Station Jacksonville – One of the Navy’s central hubs in the South, supporting more than 50,000 civilian employees, contractors, and active-duty personnel.
Georgia
UPS – Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS employs about 460,000 people, making it one of the largest private employers in the country.
Home Depot – Also headquartered in Atlanta, Home Depot now employs roughly 470,000 associates nationwide.
Delta Air Lines – Atlanta-based Delta employs about 100,000 people worldwide.
The Coca-Cola Company – Headquartered in Atlanta, Coca-Cola now employs approximately 65,900 people globally.
Aflac – Headquartered in Columbus, Aflac employs about 12,700 people, with a significant share of that workforce based in Georgia.
This mix of logistics, retail, beverage, and insurance giants is a big reason Georgia consistently ranks among the Southeast US largest employers.
North Carolina
Bank of America – Headquartered in Charlotte, Bank of America employs about 213,000 people company-wide, including roughly 19,500 in the Charlotte area alone.
Atrium Health – The Charlotte region’s largest employer, with more than 53,000 employees.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – Commonly known as UNC, the university employs more than 14,000 faculty and staff.
WakeMed Health and Hospitals – A Raleigh-based health system employing nearly 13,000 people across its Raleigh, Cary, and North Hospital campuses.
South Carolina
Michelin North America – Headquartered in Greenville, Michelin employs more than 22,000 people across its US operations.
BMW Manufacturing Co. – BMW’s Spartanburg plant, the largest BMW factory in the world, employs more than 11,000 people.
Medical University of South Carolina – Based in Charleston, MUSC and its affiliated health system now employ more than 36,000 people.
Schaeffler Group – Headquartered in Fort Mill for its Americas operations, Schaeffler employs about 84,000 people worldwide.
Tennessee
FedEx – Headquartered in Memphis, FedEx employs about 440,000 people worldwide, with roughly 375,000 of those jobs in the US.
HCA Healthcare – Nashville-based HCA Healthcare now employs more than 320,000 people across its hospital network.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center – The largest non-governmental employer in Middle Tennessee, with nearly 40,000 staff.
Eastman Chemical Co. – Headquartered in Kingsport, Eastman employs about 13,000 people.
Nissan North America – Headquartered in Franklin, Nissan employs about 22,000 people across the US, including thousands at its Smyrna assembly plant.
Tennessee’s Place Among Southeast US Largest Employers
Between logistics, healthcare, and manufacturing, Tennessee rounds out the picture of Southeast US largest employers with a workforce built for long-term stability.
Why Southeast US Largest Employers Matter for Investors
These figures will keep shifting as companies adjust their workforces to economic conditions, but the overall picture is clear. The Southeast US largest employers span healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, retail, and education, giving the region a genuinely diversified economic base. That employer diversity is a big part of why we remain confident in the long-term strength of Southeast US real estate, and it feeds into the same market analysis behind our recent decision to prioritize debt fund investing over new equity acquisitions. As the region’s job market continues to grow, we believe it will remain a strong environment for real estate investors. Sources: company and institutional reports, including Publix’s own facts and figures page.