The Tennessee economy is still far from robust, with unemployment at 9.6% in April.
But it's at least doing better than it was last year, when unemployment was at 10%.
With Nissan's U.S. headquarters based there, Tennessee is part of the area known as "Detroit South," which is getting in on the auto manufacturing rebound.
Out of all Tennessee's sectors, manufacturers who make long-lasting goods like vehicles and machinery, posted by far the strongest rebound in 2010.
Overall, the state's gross domestic product rose 3.5%.
