Average Salaries in Chattanooga, TN-GA
Explore salaries across 472 occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $61.9K, -5.9% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 472 occupations and 262,460 total jobs in Chattanooga, TN-GA.
How the metro compares
Chattanooga, TN-GA pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Chattanooga, TN-GA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Cardiologists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiologists | $610.1K | 40 |
| Physicians, All Other | $429.9K | 330 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $291.2K | 80 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $264.7K | 90 |
| Chief Executives | $210K | 440 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $163.7K | 370 |
| Pediatricians, General | $163.3K | N/A |
| Dentists, General | $160.6K | 190 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $153K | 660 |
| Financial Managers | $151.5K | 1,280 |
Largest occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 8,120 | $45.3K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 7,770 | $27.1K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 7,730 | $37.8K |
| Retail Salespersons | 7,020 | $31.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 6,460 | $79.8K |
| Cashiers | 5,530 | $28.4K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 5,120 | $45K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 4,790 | $24.2K |
| General And Operations Managers | 4,690 | $102.9K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 4,410 | $34.4K |
What Chattanooga, TN-GA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Chattanooga, TN-GA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Winding, Twisting, And Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 13.46 | $40.1K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 9.79 | $44.9K |
| Extruding And Forming Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Synthetic And Glass Fibers | 8.95 | $48.9K |
| Traffic Technicians | 8.06 | $44.7K |
| Drilling And Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 7.88 | $41.8K |
| Correspondence Clerks | 6.59 | $51.5K |
| Textile, Apparel, And Furnishings Workers, All Other | 6.39 | $43.8K |
| Entertainment Attendants And Related Workers, All Other | 6.19 | $27.5K |
| Healthcare Practitioners And Technical Workers, All Other | 4.63 | $60.6K |
| Nuclear Engineers | 3.91 | $146.9K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Chattanooga, TN-GA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.