Home / Wages / Kingsport-Bristol Kingsport-Bristol salaries The median worker in the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metro area earned $43,800 a year in 2024, about $21.06 an hour. That ranks #299 of the 391 metro areas published here, 11.5% below the national median.
Tennessee Virginia
Median pay $43,800 $21.06 per hour
Vs national -11.5% U.S. $49,500
Workers 117,550 wage and salary
Metro rank #299 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Kingsport-Bristol pays 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 Production Workers, All Other 2.92× 620 $37,110 Industrial Machinery Mechanics 2.78× 900 $68,580 Nurse Practitioners 2.12× 500 $108,850 Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks 2.06× 600 $55,590 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 2.02× 1,280 $36,240 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 1.89× 2,110 $38,400 Cooks, Fast Food 1.8× 920 $28,290 Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses 1.71× 820 $49,350 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 1.67× 870 $75,020 Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 1.58× 540 $31,600 Pharmacy Technicians 1.53× 570 $37,740 Light Truck Drivers 1.43× 1,080 $40,470
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Kingsport-Bristol Occupation Median Hourly Employed Computer and Information Systems Managers $135,200 $65.00 220 Sales Managers $128,300 $61.68 270 Pharmacists $126,600 $60.87 320 Financial Managers $125,050 $60.12 460 Marketing Managers $124,260 $59.74 210 Industrial Production Managers $122,670 $58.98 220 Software Developers $114,540 $55.07 440 Nurse Practitioners $108,850 $52.33 500 Electrical Engineers $107,980 $51.91 200 Lawyers $101,310 $48.71 290 Mechanical Engineers $98,820 $47.51 220 Industrial Engineers $98,330 $47.27 340 Medical and Health Services Managers $97,390 $46.82 390 Computer Systems Analysts $94,560 $45.46 270 Physical Therapists $93,250 $44.83 200 Construction Managers $92,640 $44.54 280 General and Operations Managers $92,540 $44.49 2,170 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $90,340 $43.43 210 Management Analysts $87,550 $42.09 290 Managers, All Other $84,990 $40.86 400 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $84,390 n/a 200 Cost Estimators $82,250 $39.54 220 Project Management Specialists $80,880 $38.88 530 Logisticians $77,860 $37.43 210 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $75,730 $36.41 670 First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $75,020 $36.07 870 Registered Nurses $74,680 $35.91 2,220 Accountants and Auditors $72,340 $34.78 830 First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $68,830 $33.09 510 Industrial Machinery Mechanics $68,580 $32.97 900 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $67,210 $32.31 670 Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers $67,130 $32.27 200 Human Resources Specialists $64,780 $31.15 560 Compliance Officers $64,210 $30.87 290 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $64,090 $30.81 200 Buyers and Purchasing Agents $63,810 $30.68 450 Loan Officers $62,590 $30.09 280 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,060 n/a 740 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $59,980 $28.84 370 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $59,070 $28.40 690 Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors $58,940 $28.34 200 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $58,840 $28.29 1,360 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $58,720 $28.23 420 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $58,360 n/a 580 Electricians $58,310 $28.03 710 Radiologic Technologists and Technicians $57,300 $27.55 200 Training and Development Specialists $56,650 $27.24 310 First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $55,680 $26.77 490 Machinists $55,610 $26.74 370 Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks $55,590 $26.72 600 Postal Service Mail Carriers $55,540 $26.70 380 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $54,990 $26.44 470 Child, Family, and School Social Workers $53,980 $25.95 310 Food Service Managers $53,160 $25.56 210 Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians $52,600 $25.29 260 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $51,760 n/a 1,110 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists $51,700 $24.86 250 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,640 $24.35 1,790 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $50,560 $24.31 640 Computer User Support Specialists $49,780 $23.93 310
Where most people work Largest occupations in Kingsport-Bristol by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Fast Food and Counter Workers 4,080 $26,840 $12.90 Retail Salespersons 3,450 $30,340 $14.59 Cashiers 3,030 $27,210 $13.08 Stockers and Order Fillers 2,840 $33,800 $16.25 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 2,380 $36,360 $17.48 Registered Nurses 2,220 $74,680 $35.91 General and Operations Managers 2,170 $92,540 $44.49 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 2,110 $38,400 $18.46 Customer Service Representatives 2,030 $35,080 $16.87 Office Clerks, General 2,010 $35,380 $17.01 Waiters and Waitresses 1,940 $28,100 $13.51 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1,790 $50,640 $24.35 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 1,710 $30,400 $14.62 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1,360 $28,370 n/a First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 1,360 $58,840 $28.29 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 1,340 $28,950 $13.92 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1,330 $45,240 $21.75 Nursing Assistants 1,280 $36,640 $17.61 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 1,280 $36,240 $17.42 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1,280 $39,210 $18.85
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 Chattanooga 269,330 workers $45,440 Jackson 84,400 workers $43,170 Clarksville 100,910 workers $42,990 Kingsport-Bristol pay: common questions What is the average salary in Kingsport-Bristol? The median across all occupations is $43,800 , or $21.06 an hour, covering 117,550 wage and salary workers. The mean is $55,140, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Kingsport-Bristol pay more than the rest of Tennessee? No. The metro median of $43,800 is 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 Kingsport-Bristol? Computer and Information Systems Managers ($135,200), Sales Managers ($128,300), Pharmacists ($126,600). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Kingsport-Bristol unusually full of? Production Workers, All Other, at 2.92× 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.