Tennessee RN Salary - How Much Do RNs Make in TN?
The state of Tennessee employed 57,760 registered nurses in 2018, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average RN salary in Tennessee was $56,730 per year, or about $27.27 per hour. This amount is lower than the national average RN salary of $65,470 per year or $31.48 per hour. This difference is partially offset by the fact that the cost of living in this state as a whole is about ten percent lower than the national average.
Registered nurses in Tennessee earn a wide range of salaries. Many variables affect salary, including education, experience, specialty certifications, and location. Salaries are also likely to vary by employer. At the time when this BLS data was recorded, ten percent of the RNs in this state earned under $41,470 and ten percent earned over $73,900. The other 80 percent of RN salaries fell between these two figures, with the median annual salary being $56,080.
The Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin area employs the largest percentage of Tennessee’s registered nurses. This area employed 17,560 registered nurses in 2018 with an average annual salary of $59,110. Those with earnings in the 75th percentile made more than $76,050 in this area, while those in the 25th percentile made less than $48,890. This is the second highest paying metropolitan area, with Memphis leading with an average annual salary of $59,860.
The area with the lowest average RN salary in Tennessee, as recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2018, is the Cleveland area, though Morristown and the Kingsport-Bristol area were not far behind. The average annual salary in Cleveland, TN was $50,240. According to 2012 data from the Cleveland-Bradford Chamber of Commerce, the cost of living in this area is 5.7 percent below the national average.