Entry-level Physicist salary in Knoxville, TN

Based on 27 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Knoxville, TN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Oak Ridge.

Also listed as: Medical Physicist, Assistant Physicist

Median salary$86,220
Middle 50%$67k–$89.9k
vs. all levels here−14%comparison median $100,155
Filings27FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $62,878 and $94,917.
PercentileSalary
10th$63,748
25th$67,018
50th (median)$86,220
75th$89,887
90th$91,951

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2021: median $72,602 (13 filings) FY2023: median $67,360 (10 filings) FY2024: median $80,718 (10 filings) FY2025: median $84,330 (15 filings) FY2026: median $87,730 (12 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 9 filings FY20 FY2021: 13 filings FY21 FY2022: 6 filings FY22 FY2023: 10 filings FY23 FY2024: 10 filings FY24 FY2025: 15 filings FY25 FY2026: 12 filings FY26 15
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–––9
FY2021$72,602$56,000$88,74013
FY2022–––6
FY2023$67,360$56,017$77,16510
FY2024$80,718$76,419$85,82710
FY2025$84,330$65,645$87,82715
FY2026$87,730$78,293$91,41212

Cost of living

Knoxville's median entry-level Physicist salary of $86,220 is worth about $93,100 at national average prices.

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

Compared with all workers here

All Physicists in the Knoxville, TN area earned a median of $165,010 in May 2025 (120 employed). The H-1B median here is $86,220, 48% lower.

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

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Ut-Battelle, Llc (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)$87,70315
The University Of Tennesseetoo few9
Indiana Universitytoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $86,220 27
Mid-level · Level II $129,807 28
Senior · Level III too few 7
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
Entry-level · Level I$67,018$86,22027
Mid-level · Level II$92,706$129,80728

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.