Top 100 highest-paying jobs in South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in South Central 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 South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area are those of general internal medicine physician, with an average annual salary of $232,200. The second highest-paying jobs are those of family medicine physician, with an average salary of $228,490.

All of the shown salary and employment information for South Central 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 South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$232,200	$57,320	50
2	Family Medicine Physicians	$228,490	$146,880	40
3	General Dentists	$174,970	$100,360	40
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$131,470	$76,020	60
5	Pharmacists	$123,870	$68,700	240
6	Chief Executives	$107,320	$17,670	170
7	Sales Managers	$104,460	$63,730	160
8	Nurse Practitioners	$102,150	$47,950	330
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$101,980	$63,220	120
10	Computer Systems Analysts	$101,290	$49,380	200
11	Financial Managers	$101,090	$60,580	370
12	Facilities Managers	$100,630	$56,990	40
13	Marketing Managers	$100,590	$64,410	90
14	Administrative Services Managers	$99,120	$38,150	210
15	Industrial Production Managers	$99,080	$55,150	310
16	Electrical Engineers	$99,060	$66,840	90
17	Physician Assistants	$98,270	$72,650	30
18	Human Resources Managers	$96,940	$51,270	100
19	Physical Therapists	$96,550	$68,810	110
20	Lawyers	$96,460	$56,950	120
21	Computer Network Architects	$94,880	$57,840	50
22	Software Developers	$93,080	$41,080	340
23	Veterinarians	$91,700	$61,200	60
24	Occupational Therapists	$84,250	$68,120	80
25	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$83,820	$56,120	90
26	General and Operations Managers	$83,790	$39,000	1,490
27	Mechanical Engineers	$83,160	$61,520	90
28	Medical and Health Services Managers	$82,770	$60,990	260
29	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$81,740	$47,950	60
30	Construction Managers	$80,470	$49,300	200
31	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$78,980	$62,570	300
32	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$77,910	$58,170	60
33	Industrial Engineers	$77,840	$58,310	380
34	Engineers, All Other	$77,140	$66,210	310
35	Management Analysts	$77,010	$48,920	130
36	Boilermakers	$76,470	$61,640	40
37	Other Postsecondary Teachers	$75,930	$27,000	70
38	Civil Engineers	$75,270	$56,090	70
39	Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers	$75,110	$38,800	290
40	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators	$75,100	$24,570	50
41	Information Security Analysts	$74,610	$71,610	50
42	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$73,920	$41,490	130
43	Claims Adjusters, Examiners, and Investigators	$73,900	$42,700	50
44	Financial Analysts	$72,640	$44,250	30
45	Electricians	$71,230	$44,460	350
46	Fish and Game Wardens	$69,580	$46,820	30
47	Project Management Specialists	$69,080	$42,330	170
48	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$67,950	$47,650	60
49	Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	$66,630	$24,250	30
50	Speech-Language Pathologists	$66,370	$47,810	100
51	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$64,880	$39,820	380
52	Fire Inspectors and Investigators	$63,400	$47,620	70
53	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$63,370	$42,480	130
54	Other Financial Specialists	$63,120	$39,090	110
55	Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment	$63,040	$45,730	60
56	Registered Nurses	$62,670	$49,890	1,260
57	Accountants and Auditors	$62,470	$41,430	430
58	Physical Therapist Assistants	$62,250	$48,530	100
59	Dental Hygienists	$61,210	$44,910	150
60	Social and Community Service Managers	$61,000	$46,380	60
61	All Other Managers	$61,000	$37,370	410
62	Cost Estimators	$60,820	$39,290	130
63	Buyers and Purchasing Agents	$60,740	$34,850	270
64	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$60,610	$44,610	30
65	Logisticians	$60,590	$41,990	100
66	Computer Network Support Specialists	$60,540	$36,690	40
67	Instructional Coordinators	$60,470	$43,330	150
68	Loan Officers	$60,320	$38,750	260
69	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$60,060	$32,110	260
70	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$59,730	$38,940	440
71	Occupational Therapy Assistants	$59,660	$47,920	40
72	Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technicians	$59,220	$37,900	50
73	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers	$59,130	$37,020	1,020
74	Personal Financial Advisors	$59,090	$31,450	40
75	Crane and Tower Operators	$57,440	$37,800	50
76	Postal Service Clerks	$57,220	$39,770	110
77	Computer Occupations, All Other	$57,060	$37,290	250
78	Occupational Health and Safety Technicians	$57,060	$38,700	30
79	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$56,930	$29,540	400
80	Librarians and Media Collections Specialists	$56,870	$36,610	100
81	Respiratory Therapists	$56,140	$49,190	80
82	Public Relations Specialists	$56,110	$26,000	30
83	Postsecondary Vocational Education Teachers	$55,570	$46,260	140
84	Other Business Operations Specialists	$54,980	$29,120	340
85	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors	$53,540	$35,500	470
86	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$53,410	$36,960	210
87	Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists	$53,180	$28,150	160
88	Compliance Officers	$53,040	$37,690	140
89	Editors	$52,370	$21,100	40
90	Legal Secretaries	$52,230	$25,560	40
91	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers	$52,100	$31,350	1,330
92	Human Resources Specialists	$52,000	$34,700	440
93	Training and Development Specialists	$52,000	$35,050	150
94	Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers	$51,680	$30,790	40
95	Maintenance Workers, Machinery	$51,620	$36,660	290
96	Postal Service Mail Carriers	$51,480	$39,640	380
97	Construction and Building Inspectors	$51,210	$35,190	40
98	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$50,680	$39,770	540
99	Surgical Assistants	$50,170	$38,200	40
100	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants	$49,980	$40,880	80

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$126,630
2	Pharmacists	$124,580
3	Administrative Services Managers	$115,460
4	Physician Assistants	$102,510
5	Sales Managers	$102,370
6	Marketing Managers	$99,070
7	Human Resources Managers	$96,120
8	Veterinarians	$95,590
9	Financial Managers	$95,310
10	Electrical Engineers	$95,100

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Family Medicine Physicians	$201,510
2	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$128,900
3	Nurse Anesthetists	$123,510
4	Pharmacists	$118,700
5	Lawyers	$113,840
6	Nurse Practitioners	$108,700
7	Chief Executives	$100,340
8	Aerospace Engineers	$99,140
9	Database Administrators and Architects	$95,710
10	Engineers, All Other	$95,170

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

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$203,340
2	Family Medicine Physicians	$159,490
3	Pharmacists	$123,850
4	Chief Executives	$119,890
5	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$117,020
6	Lawyers	$111,300
7	Nurse Practitioners	$100,710
8	Aerospace Engineers	$96,950
9	Occupational Therapists	$96,130
10	Electrical Engineers	$93,420

Also see The most popular jobs in South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area.

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