Average Salaries in Knoxville, TN
Explore salaries across 546 occupations in Knoxville, TN. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $63.3K, -3.7% 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: 546 occupations and 416,820 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 Family Medicine Physicians. 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.
Highest-paid occupations in Knoxville, TN
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $460.1K | 590 |
| Obstetricians And Gynecologists | $365.3K | 30 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $314K | 100 |
| Physicians, All Other | $276.4K | 690 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $213.9K | 220 |
| Chief Executives | $198.9K | 510 |
| Nuclear Engineers | $179.7K | 240 |
| Physicists | $165K | 120 |
| Pediatricians, General | $164.7K | N/A |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $163K | 610 |
Largest occupations in Knoxville, TN
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 12,730 | $27.7K |
| Retail Salespersons | 12,430 | $31.2K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 10,120 | $37.4K |
| Registered Nurses | 9,500 | $77.2K |
| General And Operations Managers | 8,660 | $104.6K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 8,130 | $59.1K |
| Cashiers | 8,030 | $29.1K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 7,730 | $35.4K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 7,260 | $28.1K |
| Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 7,150 | $31.2K |
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.
Most concentrated occupations in Knoxville, TN
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineering Technologists And Technicians | 7.48 | $91.4K |
| Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 5.88 | $76.9K |
| Nuclear Engineers | 5.74 | $179.7K |
| Agricultural Workers, All Other | 5.60 | $33.7K |
| Transportation Workers, All Other | 5.56 | $34.4K |
| Statistical Assistants | 5.31 | $38K |
| Drilling And Boring Machine Tool Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 5.24 | $41.7K |
| Metal Workers And Plastic Workers, All Other | 4.97 | $35.5K |
| Grounds Maintenance Workers, All Other | 4.68 | $40.6K |
| Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.66 | $58.7K |
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 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.