Tennessee’s economy has consistently grown for five straight years, according to a report released Thursday by the Secretary of State’s office. There were 8,898 new entity filings in the third quarter, which represents a 7.3 percent increase over the third quarter of 2015. This marks the 20th consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth. As of Oct. 1, there were 241,619 active entities in Tennessee, representing a 5.2 percent increase over last year’s third quarter count. The state’s unemployment rate increased in September to 4.6 percent up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, but still well below the national rate of 4.9 percent.
The national economy accelerated in the third quarter thanks to growth in jobs, housing and vehicle sales.