Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
Across all occupations in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metropolitan area, the median wage is $50,390 a year ($24.23 an hour) and the mean $66,390, May 2025. That median is −1% against the US median of $50,980 and +6% against Tennessee's $47,380. BLS counts 1,099,300 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is orthodontists; the largest is laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.
All occupations: Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN vs Tennessee and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | Hourly | $14.45 | $18.09 | $24.23 | $37.41 | $54.80 | $31.92 | 1,099,300 |
| Annual | $30,060 | $37,630 | $50,390 | $77,810 | $113,970 | $66,390 | ||
| Tennessee | Hourly | $13.75 | $17.23 | $22.78 | $34.16 | $49.58 | $29.23 | 3,278,760 |
| Annual | $28,600 | $35,830 | $47,380 | $71,050 | $103,130 | $60,800 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
611 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Tennessee. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orthodontists | $361,650 | $173.87 | ** |
| 2 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $358,070 | $172.15 | 190 |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | $328,840 | $158.10 | 480 |
| 4 | Physicians, All Other | $295,640 | $142.14 | 2,490 |
| 5 | Physicists | $236,920 | $113.90 | ** |
| 6 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $232,300 | $111.68 | 120 |
| 7 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $232,220 | $111.64 | 350 |
| 8 | Chief Executives | $218,190 | $104.90 | 1,730 |
| 8 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $218,190 | $104.90 | 200 |
| 10 | Dentists, General | $215,290 | $103.51 | 1,170 |
| 11 | Nurse Anesthetists | $211,450 | $101.66 | 830 |
| 12 | Family Medicine Physicians | $211,370 | $101.62 | 650 |
| 13 | Pediatricians, General | $176,210 | $84.72 | 400 |
| 14 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Tennessee | $165,970 | $79.79 | 5,640 |
| 15 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $159,720 | $76.79 | 1,060 |
| 16 | Financial Managers in Tennessee | $156,860 | $75.42 | 7,400 |
| 17 | Air Traffic Controllers | $155,540 | $74.78 | 60 |
| 18 | Optometrists | $144,260 | $69.36 | 180 |
| 19 | Psychiatrists | $144,020 | $69.24 | 230 |
| 20 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $143,580 | * | 60 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
Most concentrated occupations in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other | 8.77 | 440 | 0.40 | $28,620 |
| 2 | Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes | 7.05 | 630 | 0.57 | $75,390 |
| 3 | Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners | 6.38 | 240 | 0.22 | $61,300 |
| 4 | Cooks, All Other | 5.15 | 700 | 0.64 | $33,220 |
| 5 | Musicians and Singers | 5.00 | 1,280 | 1.16 | * |
| 6 | Transportation Workers, All Other | 4.46 | 430 | 0.39 | $38,240 |
| 7 | Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage | 4.04 | 330 | 0.30 | $67,080 |
| 8 | Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other | 3.87 | 260 | 0.23 | $48,240 |
| 9 | Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3.74 | 240 | 0.22 | $44,460 |
| 10 | Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 3.73 | 560 | 0.51 | $48,340 |
Occupation groups in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $126,320 | $142,020 | 82,730 | 75.25 | 1.05 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $94,650 | $101,460 | 34,040 | 30.96 | 0.92 |
| Legal | $94,480 | $122,160 | 8,170 | 7.43 | 0.89 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $93,070 | $97,890 | 13,120 | 11.94 | 0.71 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $83,100 | $107,460 | 74,610 | 67.87 | 1.07 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $77,840 | $86,710 | 74,260 | 67.55 | 1.00 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $77,650 | $86,020 | 7,350 | 6.69 | 0.71 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $60,200 | $61,150 | 47,420 | 43.14 | 0.74 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $58,930 | $75,200 | 18,860 | 17.16 | 1.30 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $58,440 | $60,630 | 45,880 | 41.74 | 1.07 |
| Construction and Extraction | $55,630 | $59,400 | 44,220 | 40.23 | 0.97 |
| Community and Social Service | $53,980 | $57,520 | 16,220 | 14.75 | 0.86 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $47,960 | $52,120 | 142,660 | 129.77 | 1.14 |
| Production | $47,420 | $52,100 | 68,620 | 62.42 | 1.13 |
| Protective Service | $47,250 | $53,800 | 25,690 | 23.37 | 0.96 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $43,280 | $47,820 | 118,420 | 107.72 | 1.22 |
| Healthcare Support | $38,990 | $42,400 | 32,030 | 29.14 | 0.57 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $38,540 | $40,470 | 620 | 0.56 | 0.20 |
| Sales and Related | $37,880 | $52,800 | 92,770 | 84.39 | 0.98 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,520 | $38,580 | 26,360 | 23.98 | 0.82 |
| Personal Care and Service | $35,010 | $38,430 | 22,010 | 20.02 | 0.96 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $32,150 | $34,430 | 103,250 | 93.93 | 1.07 |
Every occupation in Tennessee, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 611 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN estimates (area 34980).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.