Virtual receptionist in Clarksville, TN-KY: cost vs in-house
Hiring a virtual receptionist costs less in Clarksville than in Tennessee or the country as a whole. The median is $30,960 a year1: 11.3% below the Tennessee statewide median of $34,910 and 18.5% below the US median of $38,010. Only 38 of 521 US areas pay less for this job. About 450 virtual receptionists work here.
BLS occupation 43-4171, area Clarksville, TN-KY. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Clarksville against Tennessee and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarksville, TN-KY | $22,640 | $30,960 | $42,060 | |
| Tennessee | $25,400 | $34,910 | $45,980 | |
| United States | $28,760 | $38,010 | $49,950 |
The middle half of virtual receptionists in Clarksville earns $27,080–$37,230. The top tenth earns $42,060 or more, 1.9 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 1.7 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $10,150 wide, against $10,460 across Tennessee and $11,170 nationally: employers in Clarksville pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a virtual receptionist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22,640 | $1,887 | $10.88 | $29,213 |
| 25th percentile | $27,080 | $2,257 | $13.02 | $34,942 |
| Median | $30,960 | $2,580 | $14.88 | $39,948 |
| 75th percentile | $37,230 | $3,102 | $17.90 | $48,039 |
| 90th percentile | $42,060 | $3,505 | $20.22 | $54,271 |
Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $6,270 over the median, the 25th only $3,880 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $8,090 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 $38,010 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles in Clarksville, and the Tennessee statewide median of $34,910 falls between the median and the 75th percentile. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local virtual receptionists earn.
What a hire really costs in Clarksville
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 $8,988 to the $30,960 median and brings it to $39,948 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 virtual receptionists 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 Clarksville
Virtual receptionists have the lowest median of the 17 roles we track in Clarksville; project coordinators have the highest, at $79,660.
| Role | Median | vs virtual receptionist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +24.6% | 50 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | +22.4% | 40 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | +21.6% | 1,610 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +20.7% | 1,130 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | this role | 450 |
Measured against the US median, virtual receptionists rank #12 of the 17 roles we track in Clarksville (-18.5%), between e-commerce order specialists (-16.4%) and medical administrative assistants (-18.6%). The typical role here is at -13.5%, so, measured against the US, virtual receptionists cost less in Clarksville than the area's general pay level would suggest. Virtual receptionists hold 4.8% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Clarksville, 3.2% across Tennessee and 5.7% nationally. The job is a smaller 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 $29,760 in the North Central Tennessee nonmetro area to $36,810 in Nashville-Murfreesboro, a gap of $7,050 a year. All 6 areas in Tennessee with more virtual receptionists than Clarksville also pay more, among them Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN ($36,810) and Memphis, TN-MS ($34,530).
| Area | Median | vs Clarksville | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland, TN | +5.8% | 160 | |
| East Tennessee (Nonmetro) | +5.8% | 520 | |
| Morristown, TN | +0.8% | 150 | |
| Johnson City, TN | +0.7% | 300 | |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | this area | 450 | |
| South Central Tennessee (Nonmetro) | -0.8% | 290 | |
| North Central Tennessee (Nonmetro) | -3.9% | 380 |
Clarksville against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Clarksville is #331 of 521 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Tennessee, Sumter and Houma-Bayou Cane pay just above Clarksville and Montgomery and Mobile just below. All four are within $250 a year of the median in Clarksville. Of the three markets with about as many virtual receptionists, two pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Clarksville | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover, DE | +18.1% | 450 | jobs | |
| Fayetteville, NC | +4.9% | 450 | jobs | |
| Houma-Bayou Cane, LA | +0.3% | 590 | pay | |
| Sumter, SC | +0.3% | 180 | pay | |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | this area | 450 | ||
| Montgomery, AL | -0.7% | 750 | pay | |
| Mobile, AL | -0.8% | 880 | pay | |
| Abilene, TX | -0.9% | 450 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a virtual receptionist in Clarksville, TN-KY?
About $39,948 a year at the median, or $3,329 a month: $30,960 in pay plus about $8,988 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for virtual receptionists in Clarksville?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $30,960 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $22,640, the 90th $42,060, and the middle half earned $27,080 to $37,230.
Is Clarksville cheaper than the rest of Tennessee for virtual receptionists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $30,960 against $34,910 statewide. The next area up in Tennessee is Johnson City at $31,180, the next down the South Central Tennessee nonmetro area at $30,720.
How many virtual receptionists work in Clarksville?
BLS counts about 450 in the May 2025 survey. 6 areas in Tennessee have more; the closest in size is Kingsport-Bristol, with about 470.
Does a virtual receptionist cost more than a medical administrative assistant in Clarksville?
No: $6,420 a year less at the median. The medians are $30,960 and $37,380.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4171: 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.