The top 25 occupations in Tennessee ranked by 2026 median annual salary. Based on BLS data projected forward with Tennessee cost-of-living adjustment.
Ranked by median annual base salary. Click any role for full Tennessee-specific detail.
| Rank | Role | Median 2026 | 75th % | Top 10% (P90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CEO (Mid-Market) Business & Management | $458,300 | $595,800 | $756,200 |
| #2 | Surgeon Healthcare | $377,100 | $490,200 | $622,100 |
| #3 | Chief Financial Officer Finance | $345,100 | $448,700 | $569,500 |
| #4 | Physician (MD/DO) Healthcare | $243,100 | $316,000 | $401,100 |
| #5 | Corporate Lawyer Legal | $207,300 | $269,500 | $342,000 |
| #6 | Investment Banker Finance | $188,000 | $244,400 | $310,200 |
| #7 | Dentist Healthcare | $178,600 | $232,200 | $294,700 |
| #8 | AI Engineer Technology | $177,800 | $231,100 | $293,300 |
| #9 | Machine Learning Engineer Technology | $162,600 | $211,400 | $268,400 |
| #10 | Senior Software Engineer Technology | $158,900 | $206,500 | $262,100 |
| #11 | Site Reliability Engineer Technology | $153,200 | $199,100 | $252,700 |
| #12 | IT Manager Technology | $149,400 | $194,200 | $246,500 |
| #13 | Controller Finance | $146,500 | $190,500 | $241,800 |
| #14 | Judge / Magistrate Legal | $146,500 | $190,500 | $241,800 |
| #15 | Management Consultant Business & Management | $145,100 | $188,700 | $239,500 |
| #16 | Product Manager Technology | $143,700 | $186,800 | $237,100 |
| #17 | Lawyer / Attorney Legal | $142,700 | $185,500 | $235,400 |
| #18 | Petroleum Engineer Engineering | $141,300 | $183,700 | $233,200 |
| #19 | Sales Engineer Sales | $141,300 | $183,700 | $233,200 |
| #20 | Data Scientist Technology | $139,900 | $181,900 | $230,900 |
| #21 | Marketing Manager Business & Management | $138,400 | $180,000 | $228,400 |
| #22 | Pharmacist Healthcare | $136,900 | $178,000 | $225,900 |
| #23 | Account Executive (SaaS) Sales | $135,600 | $176,300 | $223,700 |
| #24 | Data Engineer Technology | $134,300 | $174,600 | $221,500 |
| #25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) Technology | $134,300 | $174,600 | $221,500 |
In Tennessee, the highest-paying job tracked is CEO (Mid-Market), with a median salary of $458,300 in 2026. The 90th percentile reaches $756,200.
Salaries are based on BLS OEWS data, projected forward to 2026 using category-specific wage growth and adjusted for Tennessee's cost-of-living index. The ranking shows median annual base pay (excluding bonuses, equity, and benefits).
Most of the top 25 highest-paying jobs in Tennessee typically require at least a bachelor's degree, and many require advanced degrees (medicine, law, engineering specializations). Trades roles are notable exceptions — they appear in some state rankings without requiring four-year degrees.