Home / Wages / Knoxville Knoxville salaries The median worker in the Knoxville, TN metro area earned $45,460 a year in 2024, about $21.86 an hour. That ranks #240 of the 391 metro areas published here, 8.2% below the national median.
Tennessee
Median pay $45,460 $21.86 per hour
Vs national -8.2% U.S. $49,500
Workers 418,120 wage and salary
Metro rank #240 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Knoxville pays 1.4% 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.
Housing here moved +1.6% over the year to 2026 Q2 and +49.5% over five years. Pay and house prices rarely move together, and where they diverge for long the
affordability of an area changes even when nothing about the jobs does.
House prices in Knoxville .
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 11.35× 580 $46,400 Production Workers, All Other 4.31× 3,240 $39,520 Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers 3.58× 1,160 $18,240 Nurse Practitioners 2.32× 1,930 $107,320 Engineers, All Other 2.25× 920 $100,490 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 1.99× 840 $99,600 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 1.94× 4,370 $37,270 Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians 1.72× 1,600 $51,450 Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators 1.71× 520 $57,490 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 1.71× 6,780 $38,120 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers 1.66× 1,910 $47,370 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 1.62× 670 $60,590
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Knoxville Occupation Median Hourly Employed Nurse Anesthetists $210,580 $101.24 480 Chief Executives $188,480 $90.61 600 Nuclear Engineers $174,380 $83.84 200 Architectural and Engineering Managers $145,200 $69.81 570 Computer and Information Systems Managers $142,120 $68.33 1,270 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $136,550 n/a 250 Marketing Managers $136,340 $65.55 890 Pharmacists $132,620 $63.76 1,030 Financial Managers $131,930 $63.43 2,010 Sales Managers $130,300 $62.65 1,560 Dentists, General $128,910 $61.98 240 Veterinarians $127,680 $61.39 210 Human Resources Managers $125,530 $60.35 510 Lawyers $121,020 $58.19 1,060 Computer Network Architects $119,670 $57.53 640 Administrative Services Managers $118,050 $56.76 940 Software Developers $113,180 $54.41 2,130 Electrical Engineers $110,890 $53.31 560 Industrial Production Managers $107,860 $51.85 730 Nurse Practitioners $107,320 $51.59 1,930 Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary $107,180 n/a 220 Physician Assistants $105,840 $50.89 290 Business Teachers, Postsecondary $104,710 n/a 290 General and Operations Managers $103,360 $49.69 8,930 Medical and Health Services Managers $102,500 $49.28 1,980 Facilities Managers $101,120 $48.61 350 Engineers, All Other $100,490 $48.31 920 Civil Engineers $99,810 $47.99 820 Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists $99,600 $47.89 840 Industrial Engineers $98,230 $47.23 990 Information Security Analysts $98,160 $47.19 380 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $97,420 n/a 780 Physical Therapists $97,080 $46.68 560 Mechanical Engineers $95,710 $46.02 570 Construction Managers $94,990 $45.67 720 Data Scientists $91,140 $43.82 250 Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians $88,990 $42.78 320 Management Analysts $88,510 $42.55 1,520 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $88,350 $42.47 510 Managers, All Other $87,090 $41.87 2,000 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $86,310 $41.50 640 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $85,720 $41.21 550 Occupational Therapists $84,390 $40.57 310 Environmental Engineers $84,230 $40.50 230 Social and Community Service Managers $83,770 $40.28 290 Project Management Specialists $83,690 $40.24 2,730 Financial and Investment Analysts $82,630 $39.73 390 Dental Hygienists $82,280 $39.56 680 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $81,990 $39.42 360 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $81,210 $39.04 330 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $80,830 $38.86 570 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $79,320 $38.14 250 Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $78,410 $37.70 270 Speech-Language Pathologists $78,260 $37.63 530 First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers $77,640 $37.33 210 Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary $77,550 n/a 200 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $77,410 $37.21 1,010 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $77,180 $37.10 620 Detectives and Criminal Investigators $75,850 $36.47 230 Computer Systems Analysts $75,760 $36.43 1,250
Where most people work Largest occupations in Knoxville by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Retail Salespersons 11,980 $30,110 $14.47 Fast Food and Counter Workers 11,200 $27,680 $13.31 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 9,500 $37,210 $17.89 Cashiers 9,140 $27,910 $13.42 General and Operations Managers 8,930 $103,360 $49.69 Registered Nurses 7,970 $73,320 $35.25 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 7,860 $56,630 $27.23 Customer Service Representatives 7,750 $38,350 $18.44 Stockers and Order Fillers 7,590 $33,910 $16.30 Waiters and Waitresses 7,410 $28,100 $13.51 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 6,910 $29,460 $14.16 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 6,780 $38,120 $18.33 Office Clerks, General 6,600 $37,050 $17.81 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 6,340 $63,000 $30.29 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 5,390 $45,910 $22.07 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 5,340 $29,750 $14.30 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 4,580 $42,120 $20.25 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 4,580 $45,950 $22.09 Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants 4,370 $37,270 $17.92 First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 4,230 $37,620 $18.09
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 Chattanooga 269,330 workers $45,440 Kingsport-Bristol 117,550 workers $43,800 Jackson 84,400 workers $43,170 Clarksville 100,910 workers $42,990 Knoxville pay: common questions What is the average salary in Knoxville? The median across all occupations is $45,460 , or $21.86 an hour, covering 418,120 wage and salary workers. The mean is $57,580, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Knoxville pay more than the rest of Tennessee? No. The metro median of $45,460 is 1.4% 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 Knoxville? Nurse Anesthetists ($210,580), Chief Executives ($188,480), Nuclear Engineers ($174,380). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Knoxville unusually full of? Lathe and Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic, at 11.35× 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.