Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
63 Highest Paying Jobs in Nashville, TN (2026)
The highest-paying job in Nashville, TN, Tennessee is Obstetrician/Gynecologist with a median salary of $358,070 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. Across all 63 tracked occupations the average median is $105,352, with 27 occupations paying a six-figure ($100K+) median. Nashville, TN has a cost-of-living index of 100.3 (national average = 100), so a $105,352 nominal salary equals $105,037 in average-cost-metro buying power.
The 63 occupations below are ranked by median wage in Nashville, TN, TN, from BLS OEWS data. Nashville, TN's cost-of-living index runs 100.3 (national baseline = 100), which shapes the headline-wage interpretation. Top-paying occupations in any U.S. metro typically cluster around physicians, dentists, executives, tech specialists, and licensed professionals. The specific top of the list varies with local industry concentration: tech-heavy metros boost software-engineering ranks, finance-heavy metros boost banking ranks.
Each role on the ranking links to the per-role-and-city page with full percentile distribution (p10 to p90), employment count, and cost-adjusted wage. For workers comparing offers within Nashville, TN, the percentile data is the most decision-relevant.
Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs in Nashville, TN
Ranked by median (50th percentile) salary. The COL-Adjusted column rebases each nominal salary to Nashville, TN's cost-of-living index of 100.3 so you can compare buying power against an average-cost U.S. metro.
Median $358,070 · 10th–90th $65,350–$390,740 · 190 jobs in metro
Obstetrician/Gynecologists in Nashville, TN earn $358,070 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $390,740.
Median $215,290 · 10th–90th $128,100–$340,780 · 1,170 jobs in metro
Dentists in Nashville, TN earn $215,290 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $340,780.
Median $211,370 · 10th–90th $64,180–$311,930 · 650 jobs in metro
Family Medicine Physicians in Nashville, TN earn $211,370 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $311,930.
Median $176,210 · 10th–90th $69,110–$380,010 · 400 jobs in metro
Pediatricians in Nashville, TN earn $176,210 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $380,010.
Median $165,970 · 10th–90th $104,020–$267,840 · 5,640 jobs in metro
Computer and Information Systems Managers in Nashville, TN earn $165,970 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $267,840.
Median $156,860 · 10th–90th $97,860–$330,000 · 7,400 jobs in metro
Financial Managers in Nashville, TN earn $156,860 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $330,000.
Median $144,260 · 10th–90th $51,170–$171,860 · 180 jobs in metro
Optometrists in Nashville, TN earn $144,260 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $171,860.
Median $142,540 · 10th–90th $81,890–$346,830 · 3,990 jobs in metro
Lawyers in Nashville, TN earn $142,540 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $346,830.
Median $137,590 · 10th–90th $69,510–$167,070 · 2,630 jobs in metro
Pharmacists in Nashville, TN earn $137,590 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $167,070.
Median $135,370 · 10th–90th $83,300–$223,640 · 3,290 jobs in metro
Marketing Managers in Nashville, TN earn $135,370 median, with top earners (90th percentile) over $223,640.
Full Ranking (63 Occupations)
| Rank | Role | Category | Median | 10th–90th | COL-Adjusted | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obstetrician/Gynecologist | Healthcare | $358,070 | $65,350–$390,740 | $356,999 | 190 |
| 2 | Dentist | Healthcare | $215,290 | $128,100–$340,780 | $214,646 | 1,170 |
| 3 | Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $211,370 | $64,180–$311,930 | $210,738 | 650 |
| 4 | Pediatrician | Healthcare | $176,210 | $69,110–$380,010 | $175,683 | 400 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $165,970 | $104,020–$267,840 | $165,474 | 5,640 |
| 6 | Financial Manager | Finance | $156,860 | $97,860–$330,000 | $156,391 | 7,400 |
| 7 | Optometrist | Healthcare | $144,260 | $51,170–$171,860 | $143,829 | 180 |
| 8 | Lawyer | Legal | $142,540 | $81,890–$346,830 | $142,114 | 3,990 |
| 9 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $137,590 | $69,510–$167,070 | $137,178 | 2,630 |
| 10 | Marketing Manager | Management | $135,370 | $83,300–$223,640 | $134,965 | 3,290 |
| 11 | Human Resources Manager | Management | $135,230 | $89,130–$225,240 | $134,826 | 1,840 |
| 12 | Sales Manager | Management | $131,600 | $72,520–$239,990 | $131,206 | 4,700 |
| 13 | Computer Network Architect | Technology | $129,370 | $86,480–$175,500 | $128,983 | 1,650 |
| 14 | Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $129,050 | $104,990–$150,780 | $128,664 | 750 |
| 15 | Software Developer | Technology | $126,610 | $78,410–$169,070 | $126,231 | 7,750 |
| 16 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $126,230 | $104,190–$166,120 | $125,852 | 500 |
| 17 | Database Architect | Technology | $123,920 | $61,580–$163,600 | $123,549 | 750 |
| 18 | Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $122,320 | $84,300–$139,740 | $121,954 | 4,540 |
| 19 | General and Operations Manager | Management | $119,990 | $59,000–$240,110 | $119,631 | 23,820 |
| 20 | Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $116,480 | $71,980–$221,330 | $116,132 | 5,510 |
| 21 | Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $111,090 | $86,050–$134,500 | $110,758 | 0 |
| 22 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $103,380 | $68,060–$129,430 | $103,071 | 1,400 |
| 23 | Data Scientist | Technology | $103,020 | $63,570–$165,660 | $102,712 | 1,360 |
| 24 | Management Analyst | Management | $102,640 | $65,580–$172,170 | $102,333 | 6,270 |
| 25 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $102,540 | $76,280–$133,400 | $102,233 | 2,000 |
| 26 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $100,630 | $70,590–$121,840 | $100,329 | 710 |
| 27 | Architect | Engineering | $100,050 | $66,030–$156,810 | $99,751 | 1,270 |
| 28 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $99,790 | $72,910–$166,720 | $99,492 | 690 |
| 29 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $99,440 | $52,670–$145,990 | $99,143 | 990 |
| 30 | Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $99,270 | $63,200–$149,990 | $98,973 | 4,500 |
| 31 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $98,650 | $66,440–$160,800 | $98,355 | 2,090 |
| 32 | Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $98,000 | $59,650–$154,560 | $97,707 | 1,450 |
| 33 | Audiologist | Healthcare | $97,610 | $70,360–$109,650 | $97,318 | 110 |
| 34 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $97,490 | $57,710–$131,960 | $97,198 | 2,380 |
| 35 | Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $95,280 | $65,450–$126,790 | $94,995 | 0 |
| 36 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $94,030 | $80,170–$98,530 | $93,749 | 1,490 |
| 37 | Network Architect | Technology | $93,170 | $63,590–$132,360 | $92,891 | 1,790 |
| 38 | Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $91,040 | $47,510–$409,340 | $90,768 | 1,710 |
| 39 | Statistician | Technology | $89,130 | $68,150–$155,370 | $88,863 | 320 |
| 40 | Financial Examiner | Finance | $84,150 | $51,850–$167,420 | $83,898 | 220 |
| 41 | Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $84,040 | $69,480–$112,030 | $83,789 | 25,100 |
| 42 | Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $83,780 | $61,190–$112,020 | $83,529 | 980 |
| 43 | Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $81,310 | $48,400–$130,240 | $81,067 | 3,990 |
| 44 | Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $80,660 | $46,660–$166,710 | $80,419 | 360 |
| 45 | Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $79,140 | $46,150–$129,840 | $78,903 | 450 |
| 46 | Web Designer | Technology | $78,990 | $57,710–$154,920 | $78,754 | 790 |
| 47 | Accountant | Finance | $78,080 | $53,650–$125,740 | $77,846 | 11,290 |
| 48 | Market Research Analyst | Management | $77,240 | $44,440–$184,990 | $77,009 | 5,510 |
| 49 | Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $76,980 | $50,730–$110,300 | $76,750 | 910 |
| 50 | Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $65,060 | $39,520–$97,180 | $64,865 | 3,050 |
| 51 | Secondary School Teacher | Education | $64,710 | $50,410–$80,710 | $64,516 | 6,080 |
| 52 | Web Developer | Technology | $63,510 | $57,890–$74,470 | $63,320 | 2,500 |
| 53 | Electrician | Trades | $63,340 | $45,900–$93,200 | $63,151 | 6,220 |
| 54 | Writer/Author | Creative | $63,270 | $44,230–$98,560 | $63,081 | 520 |
| 55 | Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $62,870 | $40,200–$99,250 | $62,682 | 1,350 |
| 56 | Loan Officer | Finance | $62,800 | $39,350–$115,210 | $62,612 | 1,770 |
| 57 | Elementary School Teacher | Education | $61,460 | $48,220–$79,920 | $61,276 | 8,400 |
| 58 | Paralegal | Legal | $60,800 | $45,780–$94,280 | $60,618 | 2,660 |
| 59 | Graphic Designer | Creative | $60,370 | $43,200–$95,880 | $60,189 | 1,590 |
| 60 | Plumber | Trades | $60,100 | $42,650–$83,670 | $59,920 | 2,760 |
| 61 | Automotive Technician | Trades | $58,700 | $36,540–$81,680 | $58,524 | 5,150 |
| 62 | Carpenter | Trades | $55,770 | $40,120–$69,680 | $55,603 | 3,040 |
| 63 | Welder | Trades | $49,460 | $40,220–$68,490 | $49,312 | 2,590 |
Why These Roles Pay the Most in Nashville, TN
Nashville, TN is a healthcare-services capital (HCA, Vanderbilt) with a growing finance and music-industry presence. Healthcare management and clinical roles pay at or above national norms.
An average median salary above $90K places this metro in the top tier of U.S. cities for nominal pay. Most of that premium accrues to the upper percentiles of skilled and managerial occupations; entry-level and service-sector pay is closer to national norms.
Nashville, TN's cost-of-living index of 100.3 is close to the U.S. average. Nominal salaries here translate roughly one-for-one into purchasing power; the COL-Adjusted column will be very close to the median column for every row.
How to Use This Ranking
For salary negotiation, the median is a starting anchor — not the ceiling. A Obstetrician/Gynecologist with five-plus years of experience in Nashville, TN should be benchmarking against the 75th percentile ($374,405) or 90th percentile ($390,740), not the $358,070 median. Use the salary percentile calculator to place any specific salary into the BLS distribution for any role-and-city pair.
For cross-city comparisons, ignore the nominal Median column and look at COL-Adjusted. A $358K Obstetrician/Gynecologist salary in Nashville, TN (COL 100.3) translates to $357K of buying power in an average-cost metro — that is the apples-to-apples figure when weighing a relocation. Read the methodology behind these adjustments in our methodology page.
For job hunting, focus on the top-10 ranking above and on the role-by-role detail pages — each links through to a Obstetrician/Gynecologist in Nashville, TN page with full percentile breakdowns, year-over-year change, and prevailing-wage references for H-1B / PERM applicants.
Frequently Asked Questions
The highest paying job in Nashville, TN is Obstetrician/Gynecologist with a median salary of $358,070 and a 90th-percentile reading of $390,740. The role employs roughly 190 workers in this metro according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 OEWS data.
27 of the 63 BLS-tracked occupations in Nashville, TN have a median salary of $100,000 or higher. That is well above what most U.S. metros offer. See the full list ranked by median salary above.
Across 63 BLS-tracked occupations, the average median salary in Nashville, TN is $105,352. The cost-of-living index is 100.3, so adjusted to a national-average baseline, the average is $105,037 in equivalent purchasing power.
Nashville, TN has a cost-of-living index of 100.3, near the national average. Nominal pay translates roughly to face value, making it a strong choice for many careers — particularly the Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Dentist, Family Medicine Physician occupations at the top of the ranking.
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers across all industries. The OEWS publishes 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile wages by Metropolitan Statistical Area and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The same data is used by the Department of Labor for prevailing wage determinations.
Related Pages
Rankings based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025 reference period. COL adjustments use a composite cost-of-living index calibrated to U.S. average = 100.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2026.