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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Largest area employers, biggest companies

photo Teacher Carla Guerra checks on first-grade students during an art class at Battle Elementary School.

Hamilton County Schools the top local employer

Chattanooga is home to the world’s biggest disability insurer, the state’s largest health insurer, the country’s biggest privately owned bakery and the power headquarters for the nation’s biggest government utility. But the largest single employer in the Chattanooga area serves only Hamilton County. The county school system with more than 5,800 full- and part-time employees at its 78 schools is the region’s largest single employer. Among the top 10 employers in Chattanooga, five are government agencies.

City’s biggest employers

Hamilton County Public Schools: 4,347 full-time and 1,518 part-time employees.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee: State’s biggest health insurer, with 4,458 full-time and 56 part-time employees.

The Tennessee Valley Authority: The federally owned utility has 3,970 full-time and 11 part-time workers at its power headquarters, Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant and other local facilities.