Cost of hiring in the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area

Median pay by role in the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area

The employer pays more than the wage: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², so a $37,230 median for medical administrative assistants, the largest of these jobs here, comes to about $48,039 a year. That is an estimate: benefit levels vary by employer.

the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area against the US

The North Central Tennessee nonmetro area pays below the US median for all 17 roles. The gap is smallest for HR assistants (-5.5%) and accountants (-9.6%) and largest for sales development representatives (-35.9%). The middle gap across all 17 is -18.9%: for most of these roles, hiring costs less here than at the US median. Its best national standing is for marketing specialists, #263 of 516 areas by median pay; its lowest is for sales development representatives, #507 of 520.

Compared with the US mix of these jobs, the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area has more medical administrative assistants (16.7% of these jobs here, against 6.1% nationally) and e-commerce order specialists (0.9% against 0.5%), and fewer executive assistants (1.2% against 2.9%) and marketing specialists (2.3% against 5.7%). Metro areas in other states with the closest overall pay level, measured the same way, are listed below; Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY is nearest, at -18.9%.

How far pay spreads inside each role

From the 10th to the 90th percentile, sales development representatives in the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area span $30,070–$94,990, the widest band (3.2×); paralegals the narrowest, $38,330–$60,090. Wider than nationally for executive assistants and accountants, narrower for paralegals and recruiters. Budget from the median for sales development representatives, accountants, executive assistants and 6 more roles: a few well-paid jobs lift the average ($56,800 against a $44,880 median for sales development representatives).

the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area against Tennessee

Against Tennessee as a whole, the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area pays more only for HR assistants (+4.5%), and less for 16, most of all sales development representatives (-25.5%). It has the lowest median in Tennessee for virtual receptionists.

Other areas in Tennessee

By jobs in these roles, the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area is #6 of 14 areas in Tennessee. The table shows the areas closest to it in size, from Nashville-Murfreesboro to the East Tennessee nonmetro area.

Questions

Sources

How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.