Average Nurse Salary in
Tennessee

Average Nurse Salary in Tennessee

Tennessee is one of the lower paying states for registered nurses. The registered nurse salary in Tennessee is $62,390 per year. This means that nurses in Tennessee earn an average of $32.49 per hour. On the other hand, the national average for registered nurses is $77,600 per year. This annual salary is approximately $40.41 per hour.

(Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Use Salary Explorer to see which cities in Tennessee are paying registered nurses the most.

Highest Paying Cities in
Tennessee
for...

Highest Paying Cities in Tennessee for...

Travel Nurse

  1. Memphis  - $2,530
  2. Columbia - $2,223
  3. Lebanon - $2,149
  4. Memphis - $2,079
  5. Jasper - $2,066
  6. Chattanooga - $1,969
  7. Smyrna - $1,931
  8. Nashville - $1,909
  9. Bartlett - $1,853
  10. Dickson - $1,847

(Trusted Health Data)

Registered Nurse

Average annual nurse salary in the following cities/wider metro areas $63,600

  1. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area
  2. Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area
  3. Jackson, TN Metro Area
  4. Clarksville, TN-KY Metro Area
  5. Knoxville, TN Metro Area
  6. Chattanooga, TN-GA Metro Area
  7. Johnson City, TN Metro Area
  8. Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA Metro Area
  9. Morristown, TN Metro Area
  10. Cleveland, TN Metro Area

(Data courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Nurse Specialties

  1. Med/Surg Nurse - $88,357 (Range of $79,934 - $98,432)
  2. Progressive Care Nurse - $78,773 (Range of $69,340 - $89,300)
  3. Operating Room Nurse - $71,650 (Range of $64,286 - $79,207)
  4. Emergency Nurse - $69,708 (Range of $62,249 - $77,426)
  5. ICU Nurse - $69,241 (Range of $62,387 - $75,247)
  6. Labor and Delivery Nurse - $67,300 (Range of $61,200 - $76,200)
  7. Pediatric Nurse - $65,800 (Range of $59,700 - $75,400)

(Data courtesy of Salary.com)

Cost of Living

Although nurse salaries in Tennessee may be 20% lower than the national average, living in Tennessee is still affordable. Tennessee ranks below the national cost of living index. While your nursing salary may be lower, the cost of rent alone may make up for it. For more detailed cost of living by city, check out the nurse Salary Explorer.

(Data courtesy of World Population Review)

Job Growth for Nurses

Tennessee is a popular destination for staff and travel nurses alike. In 20XX, Tennessee was home to more than XX,XXX nurses.

However, Tennessee has a strong job outlook, as the number of nurses in Tennessee is expected to grow. Registered nurse jobs are forecasted to grow by more than 2.9% between 2021 and 2023, bringing the total number of working nurses in Tennessee to more than 66,320.

(Data courtesy from Projections Central)

See What Your Nursing Salary Could Be in Your City

We combined proprietary data with official nurse salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to create the most comprehensive view of nurse salary in the United States. We present our findings in hourly pay for staff nurses and gross weekly pay for travel nurses to account for the different ways nurses think about pay.

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  • View facilities in any city and save them for later when you’re ready to find your next job.
  • Get detailed insights on what it actually costs to live in the city, including average rent, groceries and more.
  • Toggle between Staff Nurse and Travel Nurse pay and compare against state and national pay.

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