SOC 23-1012 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Judicial Law Clerks — Tennessee
Tennessee · 2 metro areas compared
Median pay for this occupation in Tennessee comes to $75,190 a year, ahead of the national median of $64,920 by 15.8%.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +2.5%
- Openings per year
- 1,000
- Typical entry-level education
- Doctoral or professional 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
Median pay for this occupation in Tennessee comes to $75,190 a year, ahead of the national median of $64,920 by 15.8%. Pay ranges from under $50,240 at the tenth percentile to more than $100,100 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $58,420 to $89,300.
Employment stands at 400, or 0.1 jobs per thousand held locally. Tennessee ranks number 10th out of 39 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Knoxville records the highest median at $87,820. Of the 730 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 190th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $50,240 | −22.6% |
| 25th | $58,420 | −10.0% |
| Median (50th) | $75,190 | +15.8% |
| 75th | $89,300 | +37.6% |
| 90th | $100,100 | +54.2% |
| Mean | $77,120 | +18.8% |
Highest-paying metro areas in Tennessee
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Tennessee run 8.1% below the national average, so the median of $75,190 goes as far as $81,817 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 26.0% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$75,190as reported by BLSLocal price level
91.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$81,817US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $75,190 a year, 15.8% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $50,240 to $100,100 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 400 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 10th of 39 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Knoxville, at $87,820.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Judicial Law Clerks in Tennessee?
The median annual wage is $75,190, or $36.15 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 $64,920, so pay in Tennessee is 15.8% 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 $100,100 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $50,240 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 Knoxville, at $87,820 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 400 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.
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