Average Salaries in Knoxville, TN
Explore salaries across 552 occupations in Knoxville, TN. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $59.4K, -3.5% 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 2024 estimates. Coverage: 552 occupations and 409,970 total jobs in Knoxville, TN.
How the metro compares
Wages in Knoxville, TN track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Knoxville, TN is a mid-sized metro labor market.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Nurse Anesthetists. 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 Knoxville, TN
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.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Knoxville, TN
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $210.6K | 480 |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, And Magistrates | $197.7K | 30 |
| Chief Executives | $188.5K | 600 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $174.4K | 200 |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $171.3K | 80 |
| Commercial Pilots | $167.7K | 110 |
| Sales Engineers | $163.3K | 160 |
| Pediatricians, General | $159.2K | N/A |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $145.2K | 570 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $142.1K | 1,270 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Knoxville, TN
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 11,980 | $30.1K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 11,200 | $27.7K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 9,500 | $37.2K |
| Cashiers | 9,140 | $27.9K |
| General And Operations Managers | 8,930 | $103.4K |
| Registered Nurses | 7,970 | $73.3K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 7,860 | $56.6K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 7,750 | $38.4K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 7,590 | $33.9K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 7,410 | $28.1K |
What Knoxville, TN 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 Knoxville, TN than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Knoxville, TN
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lathe And Turning Machine Tool Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 11.35 | $46.4K |
| Environmental Engineering Technologists And Technicians | 9.51 | $89.0K |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 7.97 | $29.0K |
| Metal-Refining Furnace Operators And Tenders | 6.08 | N/A |
| Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 5.41 | $79.8K |
| Nuclear Engineers | 5.08 | $174.4K |
| Electro-Mechanical And Mechatronics Technologists And Technicians | 5.01 | $49.6K |
| Food And Tobacco Roasting, Baking, And Drying Machine Operators And Tenders | 4.98 | $37.6K |
| Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.96 | $63.8K |
| Entertainment Attendants And Related Workers, All Other | 4.71 | $25.2K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Knoxville, TN
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.