High paying science jobs in Tennessee

Every science occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Tennessee. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single science job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Tennessee run 8.1% below the national average (2024), so a Tennessee salary is worth about 1.09× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Tennessee.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find science jobs in Tennessee

OccupationMedian, Tennessee · Employed

1Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$102,720
Doctoral or professional degree
$63,500 – $155,1004,020
2Occupational Health and Safety Specialists$81,190
Bachelor's degree
$47,080 – $119,2502,690
3Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$76,840
Bachelor's degree
$54,040 – $133,1801,230
4Clinical and Counseling Psychologists$76,820
Doctoral or professional degree
$50,520 – $126,9301,180
5Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$62,050
Associate's degree
$37,220 – $81,0502,150
6Chemical Technicians$54,840
Associate's degree
$41,290 – $77,9901,470
7Biological Technicians$50,840
Bachelor's degree
$41,440 – $80,3301,240

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianTennessee	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Medical Scientists, Except EpidemiologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$102,720	$63,500 – $155,100	4,020
2	Occupational Health and Safety SpecialistsBachelor's degree	$81,190	$47,080 – $119,250	2,690
3	Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthBachelor's degree	$76,840	$54,040 – $133,180	1,230
4	Clinical and Counseling PsychologistsDoctoral or professional degree	$76,820	$50,520 – $126,930	1,180
5	Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All OtherAssociate's degree	$62,050	$37,220 – $81,050	2,150
6	Chemical TechniciansAssociate's degree	$54,840	$41,290 – $77,990	1,470
7	Biological TechniciansBachelor's degree	$50,840	$41,440 – $80,330	1,240

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Tennessee. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Tennessee to rank honestly.

High paying science jobs in Tennessee

More for Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

High paying science jobs in each state