ETSU has been named to Forbes’ 2026 list of America’s Best-in-State Employers, recognizing the university as a leading regional employer.    

ETSU is recognized on the Forbes list of America’s Best-in-State Employers 2026.

ETSU is one of the largest employers in the region, with approximately 2,400 regular employees.

The prestigious award is presented in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking partner. Forbes and Statista selected America’s Best-in-State Employers 2026 through an independent survey from a sample of over 245,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 500 people within the U.S. Over 2 million employer evaluations were considered.

An employer’s final score is based on two types of employee evaluations: personal evaluations by the employees themselves and public evaluations, or those given by friends and family members of employees or members of the public working in the same industry.

ETSU encourages a healthy work/life balance for its employees, offering generous paid time off, professional development and educational benefits, and a variety of services and facilities that support the health and well-being of employees and their families. In addition, the State of Tennessee offers employees excellent group insurance programs and a comprehensive retirement plan.

This marks ETSU’s third time receiving America’s Best-in-State honors after doing so in 2022 and 2024, and the university was also awarded a place on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Women 2026.

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