Graphic Designers salary in Knoxville, TN

Median pay for graphic designers in Knoxville, TN: $49,510/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $34,400 – $83,960 · about 450 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$495 (-1%).

What it's really worth in Knoxville

With Knoxville's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $49,510 has the buying power of about $53,679 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $66,715 · median home $367,158 · median rent $1,762/mo.

Full Knoxville cost of living & taxes →

How Knoxville ranks for this job

On raw pay, Knoxville, TN is 105th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Knoxville's cost of living is applied, it ranks 91st.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Knoxville sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Knoxville

A median home in Knoxville, TN costs $367,158 — about 7.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,762/mo works out at 43% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers 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	$96,260	+94%	2.1×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+87%	1.8×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+62%	1.4×
New York, NY	$75,900	+53%	2×

Same job elsewhere in TN

Metro	Median pay	vs Knoxville	Rent vs Knoxville
Nashville, TN	$49,660	+0%	1×
Memphis, TN	$47,520	−4%	0.8×
Clarksville, TN	$46,630	−6%	0.8×
Chattanooga, TN	$46,040	−7%	0.9×

Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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