The Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce said it saw increased participation from local employers in the 2026 Wage and Benefit Survey.
Chamber Director Ethan Hadley said the biennial wage and benefit survey is conducted by Middle Tennessee State University. It collects anonymous data on pay and benefits from industries across 40 counties in the Middle Tennessee region.
“It allows the human resources departments at various companies that participate to see if they are on a level playing field with their competition,” Hadley said.
Hadley said the confidential, locally sourced data gives employers a valuable tool for shaping compensation strategies, strengthening workforce planning, and improving employee retention. Hadley said it is encouraging to see more local employers wanting to participate in the survey, as it can improve the compensation they can offer to employees.
Hadley said new participants recently attended the Wage and Benefit road show that the chamber hosted. Hadley said the new participants learned how the survey works and how it can benefit them. Hadley said that businesses must participate in the survey to access the compiled results.
“So it’s really important for them to, first of all, know the opportunity to participate, know the method and the means of participating, and then to actually participate and get that information back,” Hadley said. “The people in my position in other counties across that middle Tennessee region, those 40 counties, they’ll get calls after the fact asking for the information from a company that didn’t participate, and the answer has to be no.”
Hadley said Cumberland County typically has more participation than most of the other counties in the region. Hadley said the survey questions cover a broad scope of information.
“It’s asking about the, you know, hourly pay rates, about health, vision, dental, and any variety of things that companies provide to employees through their employment agreements,” Hadley said.
Hadley said the survey will begin in March with results compiled in June.