Chemist salary in Knoxville, TN

Based on 31 certified H-1B filings in the Knoxville, TN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Oak Ridge.

Also listed as: Quality Control Chemist, Analytical Chemist

Median salary$85,580
Middle 50%$82k–$115.1k
vs. national median−5%comparison median $90,000
Filings31FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $51,197 and $152,403.
PercentileSalary
10th$78,000
25th$82,012
50th (median)$85,580
75th$115,080
90th$136,987

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $74,277 (13 filings) FY2022: median $75,150 (18 filings) FY2023: median $78,749 (18 filings) FY2024: median $80,628 (25 filings) FY2025: median $82,368 (17 filings) FY2026: median $89,951 (14 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 13 filings FY20 FY2021: 7 filings FY21 FY2022: 18 filings FY22 FY2023: 18 filings FY23 FY2024: 25 filings FY24 FY2025: 17 filings FY25 FY2026: 14 filings FY26 25
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$74,277$71,112$78,00013
FY2021–––7
FY2022$75,150$72,924$96,27118
FY2023$78,749$76,199$108,90618
FY2024$80,628$78,080$112,74325
FY2025$82,368$79,686$85,64317
FY2026$89,951$85,769$119,07514

Cost of living

Knoxville's median Chemist salary of $85,580 is worth about $92,500 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Knoxville = 92.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Chemists in the Knoxville, TN area earned a median of $99,790 in May 2025 (100 employed). The H-1B median here is $85,580, 14% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
Ut-Battelle, Llc (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)$86,33627
The University Of Tennesseetoo few4

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I too few 4
Mid-level · Level II $84,955 18
Senior · Level III too few 8
Expert · Level IV – 0

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Mid-level · Level II$65,936$84,95518

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.