Order Clerks Salary
Order Clerks in Tennessee make a median of $39,160 a year, or about $18.83 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $56K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 89.78), which stretches that salary to about $43,618 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,215/month, about 43.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Tennessee. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $39K get you in Tennessee?
About order clerks
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What this looks like in Tennessee
Pay for order clerks in Tennessee runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $46K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,215/month, which is 43.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 89.78 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 10% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for order clerkss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Tennessee
Entry-level order clerks (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $56K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
Order Clerks salary by metro in Tennessee
9 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | $43K | +9% | 140 |
| Memphis | $41K | +4% | 540 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $41K | +4% | 730 |
| Knoxville | $39K | +0% | 270 |
| Morristown | $39K | -0% | 30 |
| Clarksville | $39K | -1% | 50 |
| Kingsport-Bristol | $38K | -3% | 90 |
| Johnson City | $36K | -9% | 40 |
| Jackson | $34K | -12% | 80 |
Compare to other states
Track order clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Tennessee numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a order clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Tennessee?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 43.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,215/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for order clerks in Tennessee?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new order clerks typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,787/month. At HUD’s $1,215/month FMR, rent would take 68% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is order clerk a high-paying job in Tennessee?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $39K here vs. $46K nationally. Cost of living is 10% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Tennessee compare to the national average for order clerks?
Tennessee pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $46K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 89.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $44K — below the national median.
How much do order clerks make in Tennessee?
The median is $39,160 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,790, and experienced order clerks can clear $55,590. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Tennessee?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,792/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,215/month, which eats 43.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a order clerks salary go in Tennessee?
Tennessee has a Regional Price Parity of 89.78 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median order clerks salary is worth about $43,618 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do order clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.