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Nurse Practitioner Salary in Tennessee for 2023

Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is greatly impacted by the constraints that the Volunteer State places on NP scope of practice. Though Tennessee’s Administrative Code recognizes NPs as primary care providers, NPs function as midlevel primary care providers who need close oversight from supervising physicians. Nurse practitioners cannot practice in Tennessee unless they have an agreement in place with a collaborating physician. The collaborating physician must visit the site where the NP practices at least once every 30 days. Furthermore, the collaborating physician is legally liable for all medication prescriptions the NP writes. How much does a nurse practitioner make in Tennessee? This article will tell you everything you need to know about nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee for 2023.


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What is the Starting Salary of a Nurse Practitioner in Tennessee?

The entry-level nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $23.11 an hour, which multiplies out to $4,010 a month or $48,060 annually. Even though this is 16 percent higher than $58,433, which is the starting salary for registered nurses without graduate degrees in Tennessee, it is still 31 percent lower than the average entry-level salary for all nurse practitioners throughout the U.S. ($90,925).

Entry-level salaries are largely determined by cost of living. Tennessee has the sixth-lowest cost of living of all the 50 states. The median cost of a home is 40 percent less in the Volunteer State than it is in the rest of the country, and the prices of groceries, utilities, and transportation are also less. This means that while the starting nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is low, the dollars you earn will stretch farther.

What is the Average Salary of a Nurse Practitioner in Tennessee?

What is the average salary of a nurse practitioner in Tennessee? The average salary of a nurse practitioner in Tennessee is $45.73 an hour, which comes to $7,930 a month or $95,120 a year. On average, Tennessee NPs earn the lowest salaries of any NPs in the U.S. except for Alabama. Even at this, they’re well paid in comparison with other Tennessee workers who earn $42,553 annually on average, which is less than half an NP’s average salary.

There’s considerable variation in compensation from region to region throughout Tennessee. Franklin in the affluent Williamson County pays nurse practitioners an annual salary of $103,606 on average, which is 4 percent higher than the state average. At the other end of the spectrum, Johnson City in eastern Tennessee, close to the shared border with Virginia, pays its NPs $79,803 a year, which is 20 percent less than the state average. (It’s worth noting that Johnson City has a 21 percent poverty rate, according to the 2019 census.)

Other factors that have an impact on nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee include experience, practice setting, and NP specialty. In terms of experience, NPs in the Volunteer State generally reach the average salary benchmark somewhere between their ninth and tenth year of employment. In terms of practice setting, outpatient care centers in Tennessee pay the highest salaries to nurse practitioners because nurse practitioners are a focal point for delivering care to multiple patients, thereby contributing to outpatient care centers’ bottom line. Finally, in terms of clinical specialty, the highest-paid nurse practitioners in Tennessee (as in most states) are neonatal nurse practitioners, but adult-gerontology-acute care NPs, pediatric-acute care NPs and psychiatric-mental health NPs also earn salaries that are more than the average salary for all NPs in Tennessee.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in Tennessee by Years of Experience

The largest jump in Tennessee nurse practitioners’ salaries occurs after they’ve been employed between one and four years. An NP in the Volunteer State with one to four years of experience makes $77,760 a year, which is 24 percent higher than his or her starting salary ($48,060). There’s only 16 percent difference between the salary of a Tennessee NP with one to four years of experience and the salary of a Tennessee NP with five to nine years of experience: $85,960 versus $99,300. Thereafter, NP salaries increase at a rate of approximately 15 percent every 10 years.

Since nurse practitioners in the Volunteer State don’t have full practice authority, they can’t function as adequate substitutes for primary care physicians. Thus, the healthcare providers that employ them have less reason to use financial incentives that might keep NPs with more experience in the workplace.

Total Annual Nurse Practitioner Compensation (Including Other Benefits) in Tennessee

In addition to their salaries, nurse practitioners in Tennessee also get perks. These perks are known as benefits. Every American worker gets some type of benefits. In some jobs, these perks are restricted to legally required benefits such as unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation; in others, they include medical insurance, paid time off, and contributions to retirement accounts. In addition to these standard benefits, nurse practitioners typically receive perks that include professional liability insurance and reimbursement for licensure and certification expenses.

The average cash value of benefits received by Tennessee nurse practitioners working in the private sector is $40,220 a year; this means their total compensation is $135,420 annually, which is 42 percent higher than their base salary of $95,200. The average cash value of benefits received by Tennessee nurse practitioners working in state and local governments is $57,962 a year; this means their total compensation is $152,132 annually, which is a whopping 62 percent higher than their base salary of $94,170. This example demonstrates why you should never use salary figures alone to determine whether a job is worth your while. Benefits count for a lot.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in Tennessee by Practice Setting

Outpatient care centers are places within a medical system where patients go for treatments and procedures that do not require an overnight stay. Currently, outpatient care centers account for approximately 48 percent of hospital revenue. Their profitability depends upon the ability to move patients through the treatment pipeline relatively quickly. Nurse practitioners play a key role in facilitating the efficiency of outpatient care centers, so its no surprise that NPs who work in Tennessee’s outpatient care settings are relatively highly compensated.

At the other end of the salary spectrum are the educators, researchers, and clinical practitioners who work in the Volunteer State’s colleges, universities, and professional schools. On paper, their salaries ($87,750) are 13 percent less than the salaries of NPs who work in Tennessee’s outpatient care centers ($104,100). Again, though, salary statistics don’t tell the whole story of NP compensation. It’s likely that NPs working in educational settings get benefits that drive the cash valuation of their compensation package dramatically higher.

Nurse Practitioner Salary in Tennessee by Specialty

1. Adult Gerontology-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner:

Adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioners work with patients in hospital settings who are affected by illnesses that develop suddenly. For the most part, AG-ACNPs are employed by hospitals and medical centers. The average adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner pay in Tennessee is $49.61 an hour, which works out to $103,200 annually. Though AG-ACNPs are trained in the care of all population cohorts 18 or older, they receive specialized education in the care of senior citizens who comprise more than 40 percent of hospitalized patients throughout the U.S.

Hourly	$49.61
Annual	$103,200

2. Adult Gerontology-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner:

The demand for primary care far exceeds the availability of primary care services, particularly in the Volunteer State’s more impoverished rural and urban communities. While Tennessee’s adult gerontology-primary care nurse practitioners have the education and clinical skills to meet those demands, Tennessee’s Administrative Code does not give NPS full practice authority. While Tennessee recognizes NPs as primary care providers, they are not allowed to practice independently, which means they can’t help elderly Tennessee residents who live in areas where there are no supervising physicians. The average adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $46.91 an hour or $97,590 annually.

Hourly	$46.91
Annual	$97,590

3. Dermatology Nurse Practitioner:

In Tennessee, dermatology NPs work in dermatologists’ practices and cosmetic surgeons’ offices. Sometimes, they’re affiliated with dermatology clinics operated by medical centers in large cities like Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville. The average nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee for an NP specializing in dermatology is $48.93 an hour, which computes out to $101,770 annually.

Hourly	$48.93
Annual	$101,770

4. Family Nurse Practitioner:

Vanderbilt University in Nashville has a family nurse practitioner program that’s recognized as one of the best nurse practitioner programs in Tennessee and the nation, which is ironic given the fact that family nurse practitioners who graduate from this program face constraints when they want to practice to the full extent of their education. This shows that there’s an incentive for Tennessee-educated FNPs to move to a state with higher salaries and more practice authority after they finish their education.

FNPs work in a variety of clinical settings throughout Tennessee, including medical centers, physicians’ offices, community health clinics, urgent care centers, and schools. The average family nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $48.67 an hour or $101,230. Family nurse practitioners may be the most versatile of all NP specialties, but they can’t practice as independent providers in the Volunteer State, and their salaries are typically 2 to 3 percent lower than NPs with acute care specialties.

Hourly	$48.67
Annual	$101,230

5. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner:

The highest-paid nurse practitioner in Tennessee is the neonatal nurse practitioner. NNPs care for fragile newborns in highly specialized intensive care settings called neonatal intensive care nurseries. Neonatal nurse practitioners are in high demand throughout Tennessee: 11.2 percent of all live births in the Volunteer State are premature and 9.2 percent of all babies born in the state are low-birthrate. (These two sets of statistics overlap substantially.) The average neonatal nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $52.24 an hour or $108,670 a year.

Hourly	$52.24
Annual	$108,670

6. Pediatric-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner:

Tennessee’s pediatric-acute care nurse practitioners provide care to children and adolescents within a hospital setting. They also occasionally follow adults with chronic health conditions more than first evinced when those adults were children. Many of them work at specialized children’s hospitals throughout the Volunteer State, including Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. The average pediatric-acute care nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $50.91 an hour or $105,900 annually.

Hourly	$50.91
Annual	$105,900

7. Pediatric-Primary Care Nurse Practitioner:

Though Tennessee’s pediatric-primary care nurse practitioners do some management of common childhood illnesses and injuries, they mostly focus on wellness promotion, education, and preventative care. They’re often associated with the practices of pediatricians and family physicians. They also work in community clinics and schools. Their training encompasses developmental psychology as well as clinical skills. The average pediatric-primary care nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $47.14 an hour or $98,050 annually.

Hourly	$47.14
Annual	$98,050

8. Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP):

According to the results of a national survey undertaken jointly in the autumn of 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, Tennessee has the highest rate of depression of any of the 50 states. More than 28 percent of all Tennessee residents reported feeling depressed or anxious; the national average was 24.5 percent. Over the past six years, the state's suicide rate has risen 24 percent. Five Tennesseans die from drug overdoses every day.

The federally funded advocacy group Mental Health America identifies Tennessee as one of the five worst states in the nation for mental health services. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated underlying mental health issues even further. Tennessee’s psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners provide patient-centric care that focuses on mental health issues and substance abuse problems. The average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is just under $52 an hour or $106,610 a year.

Hourly	$51.25
Annual	$106,610

9. Women's Health Nurse Practitioner:

Women’s health nurse practitioners provide gynecological treatment and wellness care for women and girls over the course of their lifespan. In Tennessee, they mostly work with family physician practices and community health agencies in larger cities like Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville. The average women’s health nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $47.14 an hour or $98,040 annually.

Hourly	$47.14
Annual	$98,040

Nurse Practitioner Salary in Tennessee by City

1. Nashville:

No fewer than 16 publicly traded healthcare companies are headquartered in Nashville, and the healthcare industry provides the greater metropolitan Nashville area with more than 270,000 jobs. Since healthcare workers are attracted to this area for the many professional opportunities it offers, employers have a larger pool of qualified candidates, which may be one of the reasons why nurse practitioner salaries in Nashville are lower than they are in other parts of the state. The average nurse practitioner salary in Nashville is $47.40 an hour, which works out to $98,600 annually.

Hourly	$47.40
Annual	$98,600

2. Memphis:

It’s estimated that more than one-third of the adult population of Memphis and surrounding Shelby County is clinically obese. Health conditions associated with obesity such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are extremely high here. Primary care providers such as nurse practitioners are well equipped to offer the types of clinical management that can keep these conditions from flaring up. Though Memphis is comparable to Nashville in terms of the size of its population, only 18 percent of the state’s nurse practitioner workforce is employed here. The comparative scarcity of NPs may be a factor in the higher salaries that nurse practitioners are able to command here. The average salary of a nurse practitioner in Memphis, TN, is $50.08 an hour or $104,170 a year.

Hourly	$50.08
Annual	$104,170

3. Knoxville:

As it is for several other Tennessee cities, obesity is a major issue for residents of Knoxville, and this has an impact on the incidence of associated health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Nearly 15 percent of the Volunteer State’s nurse practitioner workforce is employed in the greater metropolitan Knoxville area. The average salary of a nurse practitioner in Knoxville is $42.45 an hour or nearly $90,000 annually.

Hourly	$42.45
Annual	$88,300

4. Chattanooga:

Obesity also poses a major challenge for Chattanooga’s healthcare delivery system: Fully 31 percent of the adult residents of Chattanooga and surrounding Hamilton County are clinically obese, which has resulted in rates of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiac disease that are significantly higher than the national average. Nurse practitioners are trained to offer the types of preventative interventions that can lower the incidence of these conditions, but in Chattanooga as elsewhere in Tennessee, NPs aren’t allowed to practice to the full extent of their education. The average NP salary in Chattanooga, TN, is $46.43 an hour or $96,570 annually.

Hourly	$46.43
Annual	$96,570

5. Clarksville:

Though Clarksville has been designated a “Healthier Tennessee Community,” the city still struggles with the extremely high obesity rates that are a major health issue in so many parts of the Volunteer State. More than one-third of the city’s adult residents can be classified as clinically obese. The city is collaborating with the Montgomery County Health Department and the public school system on several wellness promotion programs that are designed to tackle this health challenge. The average NP salary in Clarksville, TN, is just under $50 an hour or $105,070 annually.

Hourly	$50.521
Annual	$105,070

NP Pay in Tennessee VS. Other Nursing Careers

Nurse practitioners in Tennessee are among the best-compensated nursing professionals in the Volunteer State. Their average annual salary of $95,120 is 55 percent higher than the average registered nurse salary in Tennessee.

However, Tennessee nurse practitioners make more than 15 percent less than the average NP salary for all parts of the U.S. This salary differential may encourage many Tennessee-educated NPs to leave the state after they’ve received the graduate degree that prepared them to work as an advanced practice nurse. Were such an exodus to occur, the result would create a health care crisis in the Volunteer State, which is already experiencing a significant shortage of primary care healthcare providers.

NP Pay in Tennessee VS. Other Healthcare Careers

Tennessee nurse practitioners make $95,120 annually, which is 41 percent less than dentists ($169,610), 27 percent less than podiatrists ($137,010), and 16 percent less than pharmacists($115,400) practicing in the same state. Of course, the NP scope of practice is significantly different than the services provided by these other health professionals, and the demand for these other health professionals’ services may be much higher. Another factor that may be influencing this salary differential, however, is education: Dentists, podiatrists, and pharmacists are all graduates of doctoral-level programs; in contrast, most nurse practitioners join the workforce after they’ve completed a Master’s in Nursing Science (MSN) degree.

In 2018, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties announced a major shift of focus in advanced practice nursing education: By 2025, all entry-level nurse practitioner education programs will shift from MSN to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. Once this shift is underway, you can expect to see the salary differential between NPs and doctoral-level health professionals decrease.

Why is the Outlook Bright for Nurse Practitioner Salary in Tennessee?

Legislation is currently pending before the Tennessee General Assembly that, if passed, would change current state laws that require nurse practitioners to maintain a collaborative relationship with a physician. SB 2110 / HB 2203 would give nurse practitioners in Tennessee the ability to diagnose, treat and manage patients to the full extent of their education.

The bill is not popular among Tennessee’s physicians who are reluctant to give up their control of the medical decision-making process. Similar legislation has been introduced and defeated several times in the past. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, during which many Tennessee NPs were forced to work autonomously due to the shortage of qualified medical personnel, showcased the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of nurse practitioners to legislators and others who may not have understood their true utility and value before the health crisis. It’s really only a matter of time before Tennessee’s nurse practitioners gain full practice authority. Once that happens, you can expect to see NP salaries to rise.

Summing It Up

This article is committed to answering the question: How much does a nurse practitioner make in Tennessee? However, while the average salary of a nurse practitioner in Tennessee for 2023 should be an important consideration when you’re weighing the pros and cons of a job offer, it shouldn’t be the only thing you think about. It's important to consider the entire compensation package, which includes salary, medical and dental benefits, insurance coverage, and retirement plans. Once you find employment that’s a good fit for your particular skill set, you always have the option of pursuing additional certifications that will increase your earning potential within your specialty.

TOP QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY OUR EXPERT

1. How many Nurse Practitioners are currently employed in Tennessee?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 11,360 nurse practitioners are currently employed in Tennessee.

2. How much does a nurse practitioner make per hour in Tennessee?

The average nurse practitioner salary per hour in Tennessee is $45.73, a benchmark that most NPs in the Volunteer State will reach sometime between their fifth and ninth year of practice. This is 44 percent more than the amount they will earn when they first start out when NP salaries are $23.11 on average but 24 percent less than the hourly wage of $62.26 they can expect to earn when they’ve been working 20 years or more.

3. How does the average salary of a nurse practitioner in Tennessee compare to the average NP salary in the U.S?

The average nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $95,120, which is more than 19 percent less than the average nurse practitioner salary for the U.S. as a whole.

4. How much does a family nurse practitioner make in Tennessee?

The average FNP salary in Tennessee is $48.67 an hour, which multiplies out to $8,430 per month or $101,230 annually.

5. How much does a psychiatric nurse practitioner make in Tennessee?

The average psychiatric nurse practitioner salary in Tennessee is $51.25 an hour, which comes to $8,890 a month or $106,610 a year.

6. What are the 5 highest-paid Nurse Practitioners in Tennessee?

At $108,670 annually, neonatal nurse practitioners make the highest salaries of any nurse practitioners in Tennessee. This amount is 2 percent higher than $106,610, which is the amount earned by psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners, the second-highest wage earners among Tennessee NPs. Rounding out the top five Tennessee nurse practitioner earners are pediatric-acute care nurse practitioners ($105,900), adult-gerontology-acute care nurse practitioners ($103,200) and dermatology nurse practitioners ($101,770).

7. What are the 5 highest paying cities for Nurse Practitioners in Tennessee?

Nurse practitioners who work in Clarksville make $105,070 annually on average, which is the highest NP salary in the state. This may reflect the fact that despite its relatively small population, Clarksville is an important economic hub for the seven counties surrounding it. Other cities where NPs typically earn more than $100,000 annually include Memphis ($104,170), Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol ($99,250), Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin ($98,600) and Cleveland ($98,310).

8. How much do Nurse Practitioners earn in the various metros of Tennessee?

Though the greater Nashville metropolitan area employs 4,400 nurse practitioners—39 percent of the Volunteer State’s NP workforce—the salaries they earn there ($98,600) are comparatively low when compared with other cities in Tennessee that employ far fewer NPs. It may be that Nashville’s reputation for healthcare excellence is so well known that competition for available NP jobs is high, driving demand for NPs down. Clarksville in the Tennessee Valley offers the highest nurse practitioner salary at $105,070. In contrast, NP salaries in Jackson where more than a quarter of the population lives in poverty average $86,480 a year.

9. Where do the majority of Nurse Practitioners practice in Tennessee?

Forty-eight percent of Tennessee’s nurse practitioners—or 5,350 NPs—are affiliated with private physician practices. NPs working in hospitals account for another 24 percent of Tennessee’s nurse practitioners (2,560).

10. What are the approximate number of annual job openings for nurse practitioners in Tennessee for 2023?

It’s estimated that 730 nurse practitioner positions will open up in Tennessee during 2023. Of these, 471 will be replacements for nurse practitioners who’ve either retired or moved out of state to pursue better opportunities while 259 will be newly created positions.

11. What is the job outlook for NPs in Tennessee?

The employment outlook for nurse practitioners in Tennessee is strong. Projected growth for employment opportunities is expected to increase by more than a third between 2018 and 2028.