Spring Hill employers face a tightening housing market as a new Williamson County study shows rising costs are pushing workers out of the county.
Ultium Cells, the GM and LG Energy Solution battery joint venture, announced Sept. 29 that it will add 500 jobs at its Spring Hill plant. The expansion will bring the facility's workforce from 1,200 to 1,700, with upgrades expected to be completed by 2028. The combined investment is projected to reach $1 billion by 2030, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Those workers need places to live.
Meanwhile, a 2025 housing study by Ohio-based Bowen National Research found that 40% of renters in Franklin pay at least 30% of their income toward housing, the federal threshold for being "cost burdened." Another 17% pay at least half their income on housing. The median home price in Franklin has climbed from $650,000 in 2021 to $852,000, as first reported by the Williamson Herald.
Researcher Patrick Bowen presented the findings Oct. 2 at the Williamson County Association of Realtors' annual luncheon at the Hilton Franklin Cool Springs.
"Moderate wage-earning people can't afford to live here," Bowen said. He added that many service-industry workers are leaving for jobs closer to where they can afford to live.
Bowen said high housing costs hit retail workers, accountants and office support staff hardest. Many commute from neighboring counties to fill Williamson County jobs. That pattern carries economic consequences: the county's economy is 70% reliant on sales taxes, according to the study. Workers who spend more on rent spend less at local restaurants and shops.
The study projects Williamson County will add 2,900 new households between 2026 and 2031. Family- and senior-oriented housing topped the demand projections. Bowen said more assisted-living units and nursing homes are needed for a growing senior population.
County growth tops 272,000
Williamson Inc. President and CEO Matt Largen joined the luncheon panel and said the county's population has topped 272,000. Growth has strained infrastructure and contributed to what Largen described as an identity crisis tied to the loss of farmland.
Largen pointed to economic shifts among the county's largest employers. Williamson Medical Center is in the process of being sold to Ascension St. Thomas, he said, and former employers Healthways and Verizon Wireless have left. A housing task force meets regularly to address housing, transportation and education challenges, Largen said.
The study did not include Spring Hill-specific data. The task force's next meeting date has not been announced.
