Office Manager salary in Knoxville, TN
Knoxville is a lower-cost market for office managers: the median of $63,580 a year1 is 4.2% below the Tennessee statewide median of $66,390, and 8.5% below the US median of $69,500. Nationally it ranks #228 of 519 areas. About 6,170 office managers work here, 12% of the Tennessee total.
BLS occupation 43-1011, 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 | $43,010 | $63,580 | $102,940 | |
| Tennessee | $43,650 | $66,390 | $103,790 | |
| United States | $45,610 | $69,500 | $104,710 |
Office managers at the 90th percentile earn $102,940, 2.4 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 2.3. The middle half of office managers in Knoxville earns $50,590–$82,830. The mean ($70,610) is 11% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $32,240 wide, between the figure for Tennessee ($32,470) and the US figure ($29,140).
What to budget for an office manager here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $43,010 | $3,584 | $20.68 | $55,497 |
| 25th percentile | $50,590 | $4,216 | $24.32 | $65,277 |
| Median | $63,580 | $5,298 | $30.57 | $82,039 |
| 75th percentile | $82,830 | $6,902 | $39.82 | $106,877 |
| 90th percentile | $102,940 | $8,578 | $49.49 | $132,826 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $12,990 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $19,250, or about $24,839 once benefits are added. 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 $69,500 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Knoxville, and the Tennessee statewide median of $66,390 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 $18,459 to the $63,580 median and brings it to $82,039 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 office managers 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 #5 by median pay, between executive assistants ($67,310) and marketing specialists ($62,890). Project Coordinator is the highest at $91,690.
| Role | Median | vs office manager | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | +6.0% | 2,980 | |
| Executive Assistant | +5.9% | 570 | |
| Office Manager | this role | 6,170 | |
| Marketing Specialist | -1.1% | 1,730 | |
| Sales Development Representative | -6.6% | 2,360 |
Measured against the US median, office managers rank #5 of the 17 roles we track in Knoxville (-8.5%), between bookkeepers (-6.6%) and payroll specialists (-9.2%). The typical role here is at -11.0%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Office managers hold 13.2% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Knoxville, 13.7% across Tennessee and 9.1% 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 $59,040 in the East Tennessee nonmetro area to $73,060 in Nashville-Murfreesboro, a gap of $14,020 a year. All 2 areas in Tennessee with more office managers than Knoxville also pay more, among them Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN ($73,060) and Memphis, TN-MS ($71,310).
| Area | Median | vs Knoxville | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN | +14.9% | 17,890 | |
| Memphis, TN-MS | +12.2% | 8,710 | |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | +0.9% | 3,940 | |
| Knoxville, TN | this area | 6,170 | |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | -3.1% | 1,300 | |
| Jackson, TN | -3.6% | 1,040 | |
| West Tennessee (Nonmetro) | -4.1% | 1,340 |
Knoxville against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Knoxville is #48 of 517 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, with pay near the middle of the US range. Outside Tennessee, Bloomington and Fayetteville-Springdale pay just above Knoxville and Lakeland-Winter Haven and Logan just below. All four are within $40 a year of the median in Knoxville. Of the three markets with about as many office managers, two pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Knoxville | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | +16.3% | 6,310 | jobs | |
| Louisville, KY-IN | +6.1% | 6,470 | jobs | |
| Fayetteville-Springdale, AR | +0.1% | 3,310 | pay | |
| Bloomington, IN | +0.0% | 390 | pay | |
| Knoxville, TN | this area | 6,170 | ||
| Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL | +0.0% | 2,390 | pay | |
| Logan, UT-ID | +0.0% | 880 | pay | |
| Columbia, SC | -2.1% | 6,120 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an office manager in Knoxville, TN?
About $82,039 a year at the median, or $6,837 a month: $63,580 in pay plus about $18,459 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do office managers earn in Knoxville?
The median was $63,580 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $43,010, the 90th $102,940, and the middle half earned $50,590 to $82,830.
Is Knoxville cheaper than the rest of Tennessee for office managers?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $63,580 against $66,390 statewide. The next area up in Tennessee is Chattanooga at $64,150, the next down Clarksville at $61,620.
How many office managers work in Knoxville?
BLS counts about 6,170 in the May 2025 survey. That is 12% of the Tennessee total of 49,870. Only Nashville-Murfreesboro and Memphis have more in Tennessee.
Does an office manager cost more than a marketing specialist in Knoxville?
Yes: $690 a year more at the median. The medians are $63,580 and $62,890.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-1011: 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.