A new report by Middle Tennessee State University highlights the impact that the school’s presence has on skilled workforce and economic growth across the state. MTSU, which has one of the largest undergraduate population in the state, generated more than $1 billion for businesses across the state last year. Half of that came from student spending.
The 22,000 students spent almost $500 million on things like housing, food and entertainment, raking in profits not just for Murfreesboro but businesses across the state.
Part of the school’s economic impact is also from its role as a job creator: MTSU is still the third largest employer in the county and the second largest in Murfreesboro, with more than 2,000 people on its payroll.
The school spends $300 million a year paying its employees, according to the report, which is then put directly back into the local economy. The rest is a combination of construction spending and tourism attracted to the area by the students.
Data in the report also shows that most of the school’s students are staying in-state after graduation. MTSU president Sydney McPhee says that eight out of 10 graduates are living and working in Tennessee.
“We do not export talent and creativity,” said McPhee. “This results in a better educated and more capable workforce for our region and our state.”
Many are staying right in Rutherford County. In 2015, one of every two adults with a college was an MTSU grad. The same was true for one in every five degree holders in Nashville.
The report is released at a time when MTSU is trying to stand out as more than a regional institution.
Correction: A previous version of this story, on air and online, misstated that MTSU is the largest undergraduate university in the state. In fact, it is narrowly beat out by UT Knoxville, according to
the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
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