Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area, ranked by annual average salary. For each job, the table displays the number of employees with that job, as well as the job's entry-level salary. (The entry-level salary is calculated based on the 10% of paid workers with the lowest salaries.)

Based on the table, we see that the highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area are those of nurse anesthetists, with an average annual salary of $186,210. The second highest-paying jobs are those of architectural and engineering manager, with an average salary of $127,610.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area has been computed using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2023. Notably, the highest-paying occupations change from year to year. Tables 2, 3, and 4 show the top 10 highest-paying occupations in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	Nurse Anesthetists	$186,210	$162,630	40
2	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$127,610	$91,130	120
3	Pharmacists	$126,300	$61,910	310
4	Marketing Managers	$122,150	$67,900	170
5	Chief Executives	$121,600	$17,790	180
6	Lawyers	$113,860	$61,650	130
7	Sales Managers	$105,870	$54,850	240
8	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay	$103,270	$77,670	40
9	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	$102,130	$76,140	40
10	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$101,980	$62,220	130
11	Financial Managers	$101,330	$59,470	440
12	Electrical Engineers	$101,200	$69,990	90
13	Industrial Production Managers	$98,630	$57,820	330
14	Purchasing Managers	$98,550	$66,500	50
15	Computer Network Architects	$98,320	$55,530	50
16	Physician Assistants	$97,820	$83,400	30
17	Administrative Services Managers	$97,280	$37,530	190
18	Occupational Therapists	$95,180	$67,010	50
19	Physical Therapists	$94,630	$55,310	110
20	Commercial Pilots	$93,070	$46,310	50
21	Software Developers	$92,760	$46,020	180
22	Nurse Practitioners	$91,730	$46,710	290
23	Legislators	$90,600	$16,770	40
24	Information Security Analysts	$88,750	$56,780	30
25	Human Resources Managers	$88,230	$57,460	120
26	General and Operations Managers	$85,530	$43,060	1,900
27	Management Analysts	$84,890	$44,980	90
28	Computer Systems Analysts	$83,550	$52,960	100
29	Mechanical Engineers	$82,460	$59,380	150
30	Medical and Health Services Managers	$81,810	$60,970	230
31	Engineers, All Other	$81,710	$47,470	90
32	Facilities Managers	$81,510	$54,450	90
33	Family Medicine Physicians	$81,390	$81,390	40
34	Veterinarians	$80,310	$48,350	60
35	Industrial Engineers	$79,820	$59,130	500
36	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$79,440	$36,250	60
37	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$79,080	$61,340	230
38	Civil Engineers	$77,930	$50,070	80
39	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$76,900	$48,310	180
40	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$75,590	$48,260	110
41	Construction Managers	$74,410	$45,290	220
42	Logisticians	$72,220	$46,310	80
43	Credit Analysts	$70,900	$46,410	30
44	Speech-Language Pathologists	$70,720	$48,930	90
45	Financial Analysts	$70,200	$39,790	40
46	Social and Community Service Managers	$69,990	$48,120	60
47	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$68,830	$40,370	70
48	Commercial and Industrial Designers	$68,520	$41,180	30
49	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$68,420	$54,690	40
50	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$66,930	$43,150	120
51	Physical Therapist Assistants	$66,130	$44,870	100
52	Other Financial Specialists	$65,880	$37,630	40
53	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$65,610	$39,340	610
54	Chemists	$65,330	$35,360	30
55	Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers	$63,840	$37,640	50
56	Registered Nurses	$63,760	$50,320	1,430
57	School Psychologists	$63,680	$52,930	30
58	Cost Estimators	$63,540	$36,900	110
59	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$63,230	$33,150	300
60	Project Management Specialists	$63,080	$42,240	190
61	Accountants and Auditors	$61,960	$39,510	480
62	Mechanical Engineering Technicians	$61,550	$47,440	40
63	All Other Managers	$61,420	$38,330	550
64	Dental Hygienists	$61,200	$44,950	170
65	Instructional Coordinators	$60,830	$45,300	160
66	Loan Officers	$60,380	$38,430	210
67	Chefs and Head Cooks	$60,030	$39,180	100
68	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$59,940	$33,870	560
69	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$59,400	$34,540	140
70	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$59,210	$46,640	80
71	Electricians	$58,910	$31,910	280
72	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$58,870	$42,450	130
73	Postal Service Clerks	$58,700	$39,770	80
74	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$58,400	$37,730	460
75	Other Engineering Technicians	$58,360	$30,210	50
76	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$57,870	$36,950	1,210
77	Writers and Authors	$57,590	$26,100	40
78	Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians	$57,430	$36,540	50
79	Radiologic Technologists	$57,380	$41,260	150
80	Crane and Tower Operators	$56,480	$37,830	60
81	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$56,390	$33,990	40
82	Other Teachers and Instructors	$56,210	$26,730	40
83	Training and Development Specialists	$56,200	$33,910	260
84	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$56,120	$42,330	70
85	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$54,010	$34,400	300
86	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$54,000	$39,640	400
87	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$53,410	$32,050	300
88	Tool and Die Makers	$53,040	$42,590	220
89	Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers	$52,300	$32,190	50
90	Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers	$52,290	$37,440	250
91	Construction and Building Inspectors	$52,110	$37,220	60
92	First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$52,030	$46,170	60
93	Respiratory Therapists	$51,810	$42,520	90
94	Mechanical Drafters	$51,210	$31,620	60
95	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$51,150	$31,300	40
96	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$51,090	$35,670	90
97	Educational, Guidance, School, and Vocational Counselors	$50,990	$30,730	180
98	Human Resources Specialists	$50,910	$32,780	430
99	Architectural and Civil Drafters	$50,790	$37,250	40
100	Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$50,750	$36,750	80

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$164,760
2	Computer Network Architects	$126,950
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$126,500
4	Pharmacists	$125,830
5	Electrical Engineers	$111,490
6	Sales Managers	$97,980
7	Administrative Services Managers	$97,930
8	Mechanical Engineers	$96,910
9	Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors	$96,860
10	Industrial Production Managers	$96,450

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$131,350
2	Pharmacists	$122,120
3	Nuclear Engineers	$115,280
4	Lawyers	$110,900
5	Industrial Production Managers	$101,180
6	Mechanical Engineers	$98,470
7	Commercial Pilots	$95,690
8	Physician Assistants	$94,260
9	Occupational Therapists	$93,130
10	Electrical Engineers	$92,750

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$184,140
2	Pharmacists	$119,900
3	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$108,710
4	Lawyers	$99,020
5	Industrial Production Managers	$98,680
6	Occupational Therapists	$94,230
7	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$92,290
8	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$90,850
9	Nurse Practitioners	$88,920
10	Civil Engineers	$87,870

Also see The most popular jobs in Eastern Tennessee nonmetropolitan area.

Also see The most popular jobs in Tennessee, The top paying jobs in Tennessee.