Rank

1255of 3,144

Sullivan, Tennessee

Score 6.45 / 10· population 162,135

Sullivan County holds Kingsport and Bristol, two of northeast Tennessee's Tri-Cities; the Holston River and Interstates 81 and 26 cross it. Government held 7,253 of the county's 70,256 jobs in 2024, about 10 percent against 13 percent statewide, and the state's county profile lists Eastman Chemical in Kingsport as the top employer, with an estimated 6,149 workers. Sales tax runs at least 9.25 percent in 2026, with 2.25 points set by the county.

Sources
  • Sullivan County is in northeast Tennessee and contains Kingsport and Bristol, two of the three Tri-Cities of Upper East Tennessee; the Holston River crosses the county from northeast to southwest tennesseeencyclopedia.net
  • Interstates 26 and 81 serve Sullivan County tnecd.com
  • Tennessee's county profile lists Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport first among top county employers, at an estimated 6,149 employees (list undated) tnecd.com
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual average, Sullivan County: 70,256 total jobs; federal 532, state 958 and local government 5,763, for 7,253 government jobs (10.3 percent) data.bls.gov
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual average, Tennessee: 431,937 government jobs (federal 58,139, state 85,854, local 287,944) of 3,270,771 total (13.2 percent) data.bls.gov
  • The Sullivan County sales tax rate is 2.25 percent; the Tennessee rate is 7 percent; the minimum combined 2026 rate for Sullivan County is 9.25 percent avalara.com

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values

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Eleven factors

Government behavior

  1. Fraser Institute state ranking (state)8.3
  2. 2A (state)10.0
  3. GOP + LP vote for President7.7
  4. Sales tax1.6
  5. Property tax7.1

Environment

  1. Air quality5.9
  2. Floods / hurricanes1.8

Private behavior

  1. Homicide rate7.1
  2. Life expectancy3.1
  3. Government employees8.3
  4. Single-parent households4.0

Neighbors