General & Operations Managers salary in Knoxville, TN
Median pay for general & operations managers in Knoxville, TN: $101,170/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $45,700 – $225,230 · about 9,010 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($97,370) by +$3,800 (+4%).
What it's really worth in Knoxville
With Knoxville's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $101,170 has the buying power of about $109,688 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $66,715 · median home $367,158 · median rent $1,762/mo.
How Knoxville ranks for this job
On raw pay, Knoxville, TN is 65th of the 186 metros we hold general & operations managers wages for. Once Knoxville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 38th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Knoxville is one of the places where general & operations managers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Knoxville
A median home in Knoxville, TN costs $367,158 — about 3.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,762/mo works out at 21% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where general & operations managers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Knoxville.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Knoxville | Rent vs Knoxville |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $166,660 | +65% | 2.1× |
| Trenton, NJ | $154,790 | +53% | 1.5× |
| San Francisco, CA | $143,250 | +42% | 1.8× |
| Washington, DC | $142,730 | +41% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in TN
| Metro | Median pay | vs Knoxville | Rent vs Knoxville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, TN | $101,750 | +1% | 1× |
| Chattanooga, TN | $96,680 | −4% | 0.9× |
| Memphis, TN | $95,460 | −6% | 0.8× |
| Kingsport, TN | $94,290 | −7% | 0.8× |
Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires general & operations managers around Knoxville
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) · Energy
- Covenant Health · Healthcare
- Clayton Homes · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Knoxville
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.