HR Assistant salary and cost of hiring in Tennessee

The median HR assistant in Tennessee earned $45,760 a year in May 2025^[1], 9.6% below the US median of $50,610. That puts Tennessee at #45 of 51 states for this job.

$3,813median pay per month in Tennessee

$5,448employer cost per month with benefits

$22.00median pay per hour

3,930people in this job in Tennessee

BLS occupation 43-4161. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.

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Salary range

	Range	10th	Median	90th
Tennessee		$35,740	$45,760	$59,990
United States		$37,340	$50,610	$68,280

10th to 90th percentilemiddle half (25th to 75th)median

The middle half of HR assistants in Tennessee earns $39,860–$54,210; the top tenth earns $59,990 or more, 1.7 times the bottom tenth.

What a hire really costs

Benefits and payroll taxes are 30.0% of total compensation in US private industry^[2]. At the Tennessee median that makes about $65,371 a year before recruiting, equipment and office space. 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 fee^[3]; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool^[4].

$65,371local hire, first year incl. benefits

-remote hire, first year incl. fee

-difference in year one

-of the local cost saved

Pay by metro area in Tennessee

Area	Median	75th percentile	Jobs
Memphis, TN-MS-AR	$48,490	$55,570	960
North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area	$47,840	$54,490	100
Johnson City, TN	$46,760	$54,710	100
Morristown, TN	$46,450	$50,160	30
Jackson, TN	$46,160	$54,970	100
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA	$45,660	$51,160	100
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$45,630	$54,430	1,330
East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area	$45,140	$51,900	110
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area	$45,060	$53,980	90
Knoxville, TN	$45,030	$52,920	500
West Tennessee nonmetropolitan area	$44,710	$55,430	100
Clarksville, TN-KY	$44,650	$54,660	100
Chattanooga, TN-GA	$44,520	$49,980	290
Cleveland, TN	$41,120	$47,400	30

Memphis, TN-MS-AR pays the most ($48,490) and Cleveland, TN the least ($41,120): $7,370 a year apart for the same job.

What an HR assistant does

An HR assistant runs the admin side of people work: job posts, interview scheduling, onboarding paperwork, employee records and HR questions.

Neighbours in the ranking

State	Median	vs Tennessee
Arkansas	$46,190	+0.9%
Utah	$45,790	+0.1%
Tennessee	$45,760	+0.0%
South Carolina	$45,300	-1.0%
South Dakota	$45,150	-1.3%

Questions

How much does an HR assistant earn in Tennessee?

The median was $45,760 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey; the middle half earned $39,860 to $54,210.

What does it cost to employ an HR assistant in Tennessee?

About $65,371 a year at the median wage once benefits are added, using the 30% benefits share of US private industry (June 2026).

Where in Tennessee do HR assistants earn the most?

Memphis, TN-MS-AR, with a median of $48,490 a year.

Sources

BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4161: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes434161.htm
BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
Silkstaff pricing: https://silkstaff.com/#pricing
Deel pricing, contractor management: https://www.deel.com/pricing/

How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-05.