SalaryExplorer

SOC 25-1193 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary — Nashville

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN · 1 metro areas compared

$61,190 /year
40jobs in area
−20.8%vs US median

The median wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary in Nashville, TN is $61,190 per year, 20.8% below the national median of $77,270.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $77,270MEDIAN$61,19075TH$81,33090TH$111,320

How pay has moved

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.4%
Openings per year
1,100
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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN.

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 Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary in Nashville, TN is $61,190 per year, 20.8% below the national median of $77,270. Pay ranges from under $59,990 at the tenth percentile to more than $111,320 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $60,500 to $81,330.

The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.0 of every thousand jobs. Knoxville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $98,230. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 277th of 609 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$59,990−22.4%
25th$60,500−21.7%
Median (50th)$61,190−20.8%
75th$81,330+5.3%
90th$111,320+44.1%
Mean$71,210−7.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Tennessee

Median annual wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Knoxville$98,23060

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Nashville run 3.7% below the national average, so the median of $61,190 goes as far as $63,541 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 17.8% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$61,190as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$63,541US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $61,190 a year, 20.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $59,990 to $111,320 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Knoxville, at $98,230.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary in Nashville, TN?

The median annual wage is $61,190, 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 $77,270, so pay in Nashville, TN is 20.8% lower. 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 Nashville, TN earns more than $111,320 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $59,990 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 $98,230 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Nashville, TN. 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.