Cost of hiring in the West Tennessee nonmetro area

Median pay by role in the West 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 $39,740 median for administrative assistants, the largest of these jobs here, comes to about $51,277 a year. That is an estimate: benefit levels vary by employer.

the West Tennessee nonmetro area against the US

The West Tennessee nonmetro area pays below the US median for all 17 roles. The gap is smallest for HR assistants (-11.7%) and office managers (-12.2%) and largest for sales development representatives (-31.4%). The middle gap across all 17 is -16.4%: for most of these roles, hiring costs less here than at the US median. Its best national standing is for recruiters, #320 of 521 areas by median pay; its lowest is for payroll specialists, #470 of 486.

Compared with the US mix of these jobs, the West Tennessee nonmetro area has more medical administrative assistants (13.1% of these jobs here, against 6.1% nationally) and HR assistants (1.1% against 0.6%), and fewer paralegals (0.9% against 2.5%) and executive assistants (1.1% against 2.9%). Metro areas in other states with the closest overall pay level, measured the same way, are listed below; Victoria, TX is nearest, at -16.4%.

How far pay spreads inside each role

From the 10th to the 90th percentile, marketing specialists in the West Tennessee nonmetro area span $29,690–$100,110, the widest band (3.4×); paralegals the narrowest, $37,130–$58,460. Wider than nationally for executive assistants and e-commerce order specialists, narrower for paralegals and sales development representatives. Budget from the median for sales development representatives, project coordinators, executive assistants and 4 more roles: a few well-paid jobs lift the average ($58,510 against a $48,010 median for sales development representatives).

the West Tennessee nonmetro area against Tennessee

Against Tennessee as a whole, the West Tennessee nonmetro area pays less for every one of the 17 roles with a statewide figure. It comes closest for e-commerce order specialists (-1.7%) and is furthest below for paralegals (-20.7%). It has the lowest median in Tennessee for project coordinators, paralegals and payroll specialists.

Other areas in Tennessee

By jobs in these roles, the West Tennessee nonmetro area is #9 of 14 areas in Tennessee. The table shows the areas closest to it in size, from Chattanooga to Cleveland.

Questions

Sources

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