Tennessee
Across all occupations in Tennessee, the median wage is $47,380 a year ($22.78 an hour) and the mean $60,800, May 2025. That median is −7% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 3,278,760 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is cardiologists; the largest is laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.
All occupations: Tennessee vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| 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 | ||
Minimum wage in Tennessee
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Tennessee minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Tennessee
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiologists | $610,080 | $293.31 | 560 |
| 2 | Dermatologists | $433,630 | $208.48 | 100 |
| 3 | Surgeons, All Other | $373,510 | $179.57 | 490 |
| 4 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $354,580 | $170.47 | 360 |
| 5 | Orthodontists | $339,610 | $163.28 | ** |
| 6 | Anesthesiologists | $330,620 | $158.95 | 840 |
| 7 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $325,520 | $156.50 | 180 |
| 8 | Physicians, All Other | $301,290 | $144.85 | 5,340 |
| 9 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | $232,220 | $111.64 | 1,370 |
| 10 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $231,040 | $111.08 | 230 |
| 11 | Neurologists | $229,670 | $110.42 | 220 |
| 12 | Family Medicine Physicians | $226,830 | $109.05 | 2,260 |
| 13 | Dentists, General | $215,290 | $103.51 | 2,200 |
| 14 | Psychiatrists | $214,880 | $103.31 | 410 |
| 15 | Podiatrists | $212,470 | $102.15 | 70 |
| 16 | Nurse Anesthetists | $211,450 | $101.66 | 1,690 |
| 17 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $208,350 | $100.17 | 420 |
| 18 | Chief Executives | $198,830 | $95.59 | 4,700 |
| 19 | Pediatricians, General | $176,210 | $84.72 | 740 |
| 20 | Physicists | $165,010 | $79.33 | 240 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Tennessee
Occupation groups in Tennessee
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $115,010 | $133,890 | 215,600 | 65.76 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $87,400 | $96,500 | 82,790 | 25.25 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $85,630 | $94,240 | 45,090 | 13.75 |
| Legal | $83,890 | $115,000 | 18,410 | 5.62 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $78,590 | $96,700 | 218,160 | 66.54 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $76,400 | $83,260 | 22,100 | 6.74 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $75,700 | $83,060 | 189,510 | 57.80 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $58,870 | $58,590 | 155,180 | 47.33 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $56,400 | $59,360 | 144,040 | 43.93 |
| Community and Social Service | $51,900 | $55,370 | 47,700 | 14.55 |
| Construction and Extraction | $50,510 | $56,510 | 125,860 | 38.39 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $50,340 | $65,440 | 41,190 | 12.56 |
| Protective Service | $46,610 | $51,770 | 76,930 | 23.46 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,370 | $48,790 | 426,040 | 129.94 |
| Production | $45,150 | $48,390 | 261,580 | 79.78 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $41,880 | $46,300 | 369,270 | 112.63 |
| Healthcare Support | $37,240 | $39,370 | 110,040 | 33.56 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $37,140 | $39,070 | 4,180 | 1.28 |
| Sales and Related | $35,730 | $48,170 | 278,210 | 84.85 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $34,990 | $36,500 | 87,580 | 26.71 |
| Personal Care and Service | $32,200 | $35,880 | 57,620 | 17.57 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $29,310 | $32,070 | 301,640 | 92.00 |
Metropolitan areas in Tennessee
10 metropolitan areas touch Tennessee, plus 4 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | Metropolitan | $46,700 | $22.45 | 268,750 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | Metropolitan | $44,860 | $21.57 | 103,220 |
| Cleveland, TN | Metropolitan | $40,230 | $19.34 | 43,010 |
| Jackson, TN | Metropolitan | $44,790 | $21.53 | 84,530 |
| Johnson City, TN | Metropolitan | $43,480 | $20.90 | 81,690 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | Metropolitan | $45,240 | $21.75 | 119,560 |
| Knoxville, TN | Metropolitan | $47,080 | $22.63 | 424,600 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | Metropolitan | $46,890 | $22.54 | 611,670 |
| Morristown, TN | Metropolitan | $44,280 | $21.29 | 47,290 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | Metropolitan | $50,390 | $24.23 | 1,099,300 |
| West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $44,020 | $21.16 | 117,280 |
| South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $44,320 | $21.31 | 110,080 |
| North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $39,930 | $19.20 | 114,970 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $39,230 | $18.86 | 140,860 |
Occupation pages for Tennessee
63 occupations have a dedicated Tennessee page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $76,840
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $50,290
- Bartenders $27,480
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $48,180
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $78,690
- Carpenters $50,830
- Cashiers $28,590
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $158,700
- Computer User Support Specialists $55,990
- Construction Laborers $45,000
- Cooks, Fast Food $28,330
- Cooks, Restaurant $36,420
- Customer Service Representatives $42,830
- Electricians $61,090
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $59,980
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $27,470
- Financial Managers $141,010
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $74,470
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $40,500
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $75,830
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $66,390
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $65,310
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $47,880
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $61,160
- Food Preparation Workers $28,700
- General and Operations Managers $106,970
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,620
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $32,130
- Human Resources Specialists $67,370
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $42,100
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $33,440
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $38,160
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,020
- Lawyers $136,180
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $58,870
- Light Truck Drivers $45,050
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $30,850
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $47,240
- Management Analysts $99,260
- Managers, All Other $99,430
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $69,790
- Medical Assistants $39,570
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $39,940
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $60,690
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $44,630
- Nursing Assistants $37,990
- Office Clerks, General $38,860
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $59,280
- Project Management Specialists $85,890
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $34,910
- Registered Nurses $81,500
- Retail Salespersons $31,950
- Sales Managers $128,040
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $60,230
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $61,630
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,860
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $45,810
- Security Guards $36,000
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $44,920
- Software Developers $122,430
- Stockers and Order Fillers $36,140
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $29,210
- Waiters and Waitresses $27,760
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Tennessee
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Tennessee. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Tennessee estimates.
**- 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 Tennessee.