Home / Wages / Chattanooga Chattanooga salaries The median worker in the Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area earned $45,440 a year in 2024, about $21.85 an hour. That ranks #241 of the 391 metro areas published here, 8.2% below the national median.
Tennessee Georgia
Median pay $45,440 $21.85 per hour
Vs national -8.2% U.S. $49,500
Workers 269,330 wage and salary
Metro rank #241 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Chattanooga pays 1.5% less than Tennessee as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Food Processing Workers, All Other 6.3× 640 $50,130 Automotive Body and Related Repairers 6.04× 1,640 $50,140 Production Workers, All Other 4.08× 1,980 $41,810 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 4.05× 1,130 $50,150 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers 2.92× 630 $75,130 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 2.92× 7,440 $38,440 Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks 2.6× 1,040 $49,650 Nurse Practitioners 2.34× 1,260 $107,890 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 2.28× 1,690 $48,440 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 1.91× 2,770 $37,440 Healthcare Social Workers 1.89× 610 $61,300 Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks 1.87× 1,260 $49,500
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Chattanooga Occupation Median Hourly Employed Nurse Anesthetists $197,370 $94.89 270 Chief Executives $172,780 $83.07 400 Architectural and Engineering Managers $152,800 $73.46 400 Computer and Information Systems Managers $145,720 $70.06 700 Administrative Services Managers $131,150 $63.05 680 Financial Managers $130,510 $62.74 1,220 Pharmacists $130,210 $62.60 630 Marketing Managers $127,160 $61.14 520 Physician Assistants $125,160 $60.17 200 Sales Managers $125,040 $60.11 960 Electrical Engineers $119,770 $57.58 470 Lawyers $115,290 $55.43 730 Human Resources Managers $114,450 $55.03 350 Industrial Production Managers $110,070 $52.92 570 Nurse Practitioners $107,890 $51.87 1,260 Information Security Analysts $107,850 $51.85 200 Computer Network Architects $106,320 $51.12 250 Mechanical Engineers $103,670 $49.84 460 General and Operations Managers $103,200 $49.61 5,650 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $103,000 n/a 490 Software Developers $101,820 $48.95 1,210 Medical and Health Services Managers $100,760 $48.44 1,070 Management Analysts $99,490 $47.83 910 Industrial Engineers $99,120 $47.65 840 Physical Therapists $98,650 $47.43 430 Civil Engineers $97,440 $46.85 460 Engineers, All Other $96,210 $46.26 330 Construction Managers $91,150 $43.82 420 Computer Systems Analysts $87,860 $42.24 640 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $85,330 $41.02 360 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $84,090 $40.43 490 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $83,590 $40.19 340 Project Management Specialists $83,470 $40.13 1,460 Managers, All Other $82,260 $39.55 1,400 Occupational Therapists $81,930 $39.39 290 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $81,600 $39.23 340 Financial and Investment Analysts $81,210 $39.04 240 Speech-Language Pathologists $81,020 $38.95 410 Dental Hygienists $79,420 $38.18 380 Registered Nurses $76,870 $36.96 5,940 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $76,710 $36.88 230 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $75,130 $36.12 630 Financial Specialists, All Other $74,110 $35.63 250 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $74,040 $35.60 430 Accountants and Auditors $73,240 $35.21 1,940 Respiratory Therapists $73,050 $35.12 300 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $72,640 $34.93 200 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $71,130 $34.20 1,310 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $70,950 $34.11 1,100 Cost Estimators $70,330 $33.81 360 Logisticians $69,530 $33.43 380 Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators $66,840 $32.13 360 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians $65,480 $31.48 210 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $64,160 $30.85 1,120 Personal Financial Advisors $64,130 $30.83 420 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $63,850 $30.70 1,190 Compliance Officers $63,800 $30.67 910 Instructional Coordinators $63,540 $30.55 340 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants $63,220 $30.40 420 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $63,050 $30.31 410
Where most people work Largest occupations in Chattanooga by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 8,030 $37,160 $17.87 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 7,440 $38,440 $18.48 Fast Food and Counter Workers 7,330 $27,160 $13.06 Retail Salespersons 6,910 $29,830 $14.34 Customer Service Representatives 6,150 $42,810 $20.58 Registered Nurses 5,940 $76,870 $36.96 General and Operations Managers 5,650 $103,200 $49.61 Cashiers 5,560 $27,780 $13.36 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 5,550 $53,690 $25.81 Waiters and Waitresses 4,920 $26,210 $12.60 Stockers and Order Fillers 4,420 $34,210 $16.45 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 4,150 $62,240 $29.92 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3,990 $30,420 $14.63 Office Clerks, General 3,860 $36,850 $17.72 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 2,960 $45,740 $21.99 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 2,810 $41,970 $20.18 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 2,770 $37,440 $18.00 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 2,750 $45,670 $21.96 Cooks, Restaurant 2,650 $35,220 $16.94 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 2,620 $36,820 $17.70
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Tennessee metro areas Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin 1,096,500 workers $48,840 Memphis 620,100 workers $45,610 Knoxville 418,120 workers $45,460 Kingsport-Bristol 117,550 workers $43,800 Jackson 84,400 workers $43,170 Clarksville 100,910 workers $42,990 Chattanooga pay: common questions What is the average salary in Chattanooga? The median across all occupations is $45,440 , or $21.85 an hour, covering 269,330 wage and salary workers. The mean is $56,330, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Chattanooga pay more than the rest of Tennessee? No. The metro median of $45,440 is 1.5% below the Tennessee median of $46,120. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Chattanooga? Nurse Anesthetists ($197,370), Chief Executives ($172,780), Architectural and Engineering Managers ($152,800). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Chattanooga unusually full of? Food Processing Workers, All Other, at 6.3× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.