HR Assistant salary in Knoxville, TN
Hiring an HR assistant costs less in Knoxville than in Tennessee or the country as a whole. The median is $45,030 a year1: 1.6% below the Tennessee statewide median of $45,760 and 11.0% below the US median of $50,610. That is in the bottom quarter of US areas (#302 of 384). About 500 HR assistants work here, 13% of the Tennessee total.
BLS occupation 43-4161, area Knoxville, TN. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Knoxville against Tennessee and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville, TN | $35,240 | $45,030 | $61,560 | |
| Tennessee | $35,740 | $45,760 | $59,990 | |
| United States | $37,340 | $50,610 | $68,280 |
The middle half of HR assistants in Knoxville earns $41,600–$52,920. The top tenth earns $61,560 or more, 1.7 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 1.8 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $11,320 wide, against $14,350 across Tennessee and $15,770 nationally: employers in Knoxville pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for an HR assistant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,240 | $2,937 | $16.94 | $45,471 |
| 25th percentile | $41,600 | $3,467 | $20.00 | $53,677 |
| Median | $45,030 | $3,752 | $21.65 | $58,103 |
| 75th percentile | $52,920 | $4,410 | $25.44 | $68,284 |
| 90th percentile | $61,560 | $5,130 | $29.60 | $79,432 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $7,890 over the median, the 25th only $3,430 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $10,181 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $50,610 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Knoxville, and the Tennessee statewide median of $45,760 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Knoxville
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $13,073 to the $45,030 median and brings it to $58,103 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for HR assistants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Knoxville
Of the 17 roles we track in Knoxville, this one ranks #12 by median pay, between administrative assistants ($46,000) and e-commerce order specialists ($39,330). Project Coordinator is the highest at $91,690.
| Role | Median | vs HR assistant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeper | +5.1% | 4,510 | |
| Administrative Assistant | +2.2% | 4,790 | |
| HR Assistant | this role | 500 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | -12.7% | 270 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | -13.4% | 340 |
Measured against the US median, HR assistants rank #9 of the 17 roles we track in Knoxville (-11.0%), between project coordinators (-10.4%) and recruiters (-11.3%). The typical role here is at -11.0%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. HR assistants hold 1.1% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Knoxville, 1.1% across Tennessee and 0.6% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Tennessee
Across the 14 areas of Tennessee with data for this job, the median runs from $41,120 in Cleveland to $48,490 in Memphis, a gap of $7,370 a year. All 2 areas in Tennessee with more HR assistants than Knoxville also pay more, among them Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN ($45,630) and Memphis, TN-MS ($48,490).
| Area | Median | vs Knoxville | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN | +1.3% | 1,330 | |
| East Tennessee (Nonmetro) | +0.2% | 110 | |
| South Central Tennessee (Nonmetro) | +0.1% | 90 | |
| Knoxville, TN | this area | 500 | |
| West Tennessee (Nonmetro) | -0.7% | 100 | |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | -0.8% | 100 | |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | -1.1% | 290 |
Knoxville against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Knoxville is #38 of 382 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, yet its pay sits in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Tennessee, Winston-Salem and Rockford pay just above Knoxville and El Paso and Longview just below. All four are within $30 a year of the median in Knoxville. Of the three markets with about as many HR assistants, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Knoxville | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | +8.6% | 510 | jobs | |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake, VA-NC | +6.6% | 500 | jobs | |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | +6.5% | 490 | jobs | |
| Rockford, IL | +0.1% | 60 | pay | |
| Winston-Salem, NC | +0.0% | 170 | pay | |
| Knoxville, TN | this area | 500 | ||
| El Paso, TX | -0.0% | 200 | pay | |
| Longview, TX | -0.0% | 30 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an HR assistant in Knoxville, TN?
About $58,103 a year at the median, or $4,842 a month: $45,030 in pay plus about $13,073 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for HR assistants in Knoxville?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $45,030 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $35,240, the 90th $61,560, and the middle half earned $41,600 to $52,920.
Is Knoxville cheaper than the rest of Tennessee for HR assistants?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $45,030 against $45,760 statewide. The next area up in Tennessee is the South Central Tennessee nonmetro area at $45,060, the next down the West Tennessee nonmetro area at $44,710.
How many HR assistants work in Knoxville?
BLS counts about 500 in the May 2025 survey. That is 13% of the Tennessee total of 3,930. Only Nashville-Murfreesboro and Memphis have more in Tennessee.
Does an HR assistant cost more than an e-commerce order specialist in Knoxville?
Yes: $5,700 a year more at the median. The medians are $45,030 and $39,330.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4161: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.