Why Nashville is one of the nation's hottest job markets

When looking at job growth, Nashville's economy came roaring out of the Great Recession.

Employment in the Nashville metro area grew nearly 20 percent from 2009 to 2015, outpacing the region's overall population growth of 10 percent in that time period.

That's good enough to rank third in the country during that time frame, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

In 2013, the Nashville area's economy officially crossed the $100 billion mark, a new benchmark for local growth. A report released by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis ranks Nashville as the nation's 34th-largest economy.

Why the momentum? A growing tech sector, a Southern shift in auto manufacturing and a resilient health care sector. Meanwhile, Tennessee's tax rates are favorable for relocating and growing businesses and the region's low cost of living is attractive to future employees.

The growth doesn't appear to be slowing anytime soon. The Nashville region just topped Business Facilities' list of cities with the greatest economic growth potential.

"Nashville is home to a diverse health care cluster with leaders in a number of industry niches that impact the health care landscape locally, nationally and internationally," according to the magazine. "Nashville has become a world-class healthcare hub."

The biggest challenge for Nashville's workforce over the next five years: replacing retiring Baby Boomers. Nearly 20 percent of all occupations have one in five workers who are 55 and older, according to a new report by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.