SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-9099 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other — Tennessee

Tennessee · 7 metro areas compared

$59,610 /year
$28.66per hour
3,190jobs in area
+17.1%vs US median

The median wage for Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other in Tennessee is $59,610 per year, 17.1% above the national median of $50,890.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $50,89010TH$36,68025TH$46,340MEDIAN$59,61075TH$65,42090TH$80,380

How pay has moved

$66,330$26,0102019202020212022202320242025$59,610
$32,730 in 2019 to $59,610 in 2025, +82.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+1.5%
Openings per year
12,500
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Tennessee.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other in Tennessee is $59,610 per year, 17.1% above the national median of $50,890. Pay ranges from under $36,680 at the tenth percentile to more than $80,380 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $46,340 to $65,420.

Employment stands at 3,190, or 1.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 50 states with published data for this occupation, Tennessee ranks 11th by median wage. Memphis leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $65,420. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 320th of 730 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Tennessee · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$36,680−27.9%
25th$46,340−8.9%
Median (50th)$59,610+17.1%
75th$65,420+28.6%
90th$80,380+57.9%
Mean$58,860+15.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Highest-paying metro areas in Tennessee

Median annual wage for Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Memphis$65,420750
2Nashville$61,3201,030
3Knoxville$57,100430
4Clarksville$48,420270
5Chattanooga$46,150290
6Kingsport$43,02090
7Jackson$38,15070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Tennessee run 8.1% below the national average, so the median of $59,610 goes as far as $64,864 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 27.5% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$59,610as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$64,864US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $59,610 a year, 17.1% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $36,680 to $80,380 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 3,190 jobs in this occupation.
  • It ranks 11th of 50 states for this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Memphis, at $65,420.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other in Tennessee?

The median annual wage is $59,610, or $28.66 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $50,890, so pay in Tennessee is 17.1% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Tennessee earns more than $80,380 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $36,680 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Memphis, at $65,420 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 3,190 jobs in this occupation in Tennessee. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other in Tennessee Earn $59,610 — 17.1% Above the US Median (2025) | Salary Explorer