Data Scientist Salary in Tennessee (2026)
The average Data Scientist in Tennessee earns around $120,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $93,250/year ($7,771/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $93,250 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $7,771 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $3,587 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $45/hr |
Federal Tax | $17,570 |
State Tax | $0 |
FICA Taxes | $9,180 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 22.29% |
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Read the guideData Scientist Salary Ranges in Tennessee
Not all Data Scientists earn the same — not even close
TN data science splits across four coherent tracks. Healthcare analytics (HCA + Vanderbilt UMC + Vanderbilt Biostatistics + Methodist Le Bonheur + St. Jude Children's research) is the TN-distinctive specialty no other US market matches at this depth. Tech / cloud (Asurion + Oracle Nashville + AllianceBernstein + Amazon HQ East) drives senior comp tier. Logistics + retail analytics (FedEx Memphis + AutoZone + Dollar General + Tractor Supply) carries volume bench. Federal-research (ORNL HPC + TVA grid analytics + Y-12) is the WA-distinctive specialty parallel.
VP Data / Chief Data Officer (HCA / Asurion / Oracle)
$485,000–$1,200,000+ cash + RSU
HCA · Asurion · Oracle Nashville · AllianceBernstein · executive data tier · RSU heavy at public HQs
Senior Director Data Science
$345,000–$585,000 + RSU
HCA · Asurion · Oracle · AllianceBernstein · 12-18 yrs · multi-org data leadership · TC $585-885K with vesting RSU
Principal Data Scientist
$245,000–$385,000 + RSU
Asurion principal · Oracle IC-T5 · HCA · 10-15 yrs · multi-org data ownership · staff IC alternative
Staff / Senior Data Scientist
$185,000–$285,000 + RSU
Asurion staff · Oracle IC-T4 · HCA · 7-12 yrs · technical depth + cross-team execution
Senior Data Scientist
$145,000–$225,000 + RSU
Asurion senior · Oracle IC-T3 · HCA · Vanderbilt research · 4-7 yrs · technical depth
Data Scientist (Mid-Career)
$115,000–$175,000
2-4 yrs · domain specialty (healthcare / tech / logistics / retail) · Vanderbilt + UT Knoxville feeders
Healthcare Data Scientist (HCA / Vanderbilt UMC)
$125,000–$235,000
HCA Healthcare analytics · Vanderbilt UMC + Biostatistics · clinical outcomes + value-based care + EHR analytics
Logistics Data Scientist (FedEx / AutoZone)
$115,000–$215,000
FedEx Memphis supply chain + air cargo optimization · AutoZone retail + inventory · International Paper
Academic / Vanderbilt Faculty
$145,000–$285,000
Vanderbilt Data Science Institute · Department of Biostatistics · VICTR · DRS pension + research grants
Data Scientist (New-Grad)
$85,000–$115,000
New-grad · Vanderbilt + UT Knoxville Tickle College + Tennessee Tech + Belmont · feeds Senior pipeline
Worth knowing: Healthcare data science is the TN-distinctive specialty bench no other US market matches at this depth. HCA Healthcare (largest US hospital operator) maintains a ~300+ data scientist bench across clinical outcomes, value-based care risk modeling, EHR + Epic + Cerner data warehousing, hospital throughput optimization, plus the largest US administrative + claims dataset across ~35M patient encounters annually. Vanderbilt UMC adds ~150+ data scientists + biostatisticians across VICTR + Department of Biostatistics + the Synthetic Derivative (de-identified clinical research dataset). Vanderbilt Data Science Institute (2020) anchors the academic side with ~80+ affiliated faculty. Methodist Le Bonheur + Ardent + Lifepoint round out the Nashville healthcare data ecosystem. Senior healthcare data scientists at HCA + Vanderbilt UMC clear $215-345K cash + + research grant access.
The TN data science market — HCA healthcare analytics, Asurion + Oracle Nashville tech, FedEx Memphis logistics, ORNL HPC + TVA grid
0%
TN state income tax — RSU vests + cash + bonus all tax-free at state level
~300+
HCA Healthcare data scientist bench — largest US healthcare analytics concentration
~150+
Vanderbilt UMC data scientists + biostatisticians — TN-distinctive academic bench
1.1 ExaFLOPS
ORNL Frontier supercomputer — world's first exascale system, scientific computing depth
Data scientists are exempt under the Learned Professional exemption (advanced knowledge + specialized intellectual instruction). Salaried with bonus + equity components — heavy at publicly-traded HCA, Bridgestone, Nissan (Tokyo-listed), Dollar General, Tractor Supply, FedEx, AutoZone, Asurion (private but cash-equivalent equity), Oracle Nashville, AllianceBernstein. No professional licensure required.
HCA Healthcare data science is the largest single TN concentration — ~300+ data scientists across clinical outcomes, value-based care, EHR + Epic + Cerner data warehousing, hospital throughput, plus the largest US administrative + claims dataset (~35M patient encounters annually). HCA's data team is recruited globally — recent hires from Mayo Clinic + Cleveland Clinic + Kaiser Permanente analytics. Senior HCA data scientists at Director-and-above clear $245-385K cash + .
Asurion + Oracle Nashville drive the tech / cloud data science corridor. Asurion Nashville HQ (~5K global with substantial Nashville data bench) — mobile data + claims processing + tech-insurance fraud detection. Oracle Nashville (~9K jobs by 2031) is scaling cloud + database + Fusion ERP data science transferring from Austin TX + Redwood Shores patterns. AllianceBernstein institutional-investment quantitative analytics post-2018 NYC HQ relocation.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center + Vanderbilt Data Science Institute is the TN academic data science anchor. ~150+ data scientists + biostatisticians at Vanderbilt UMC across VICTR + Department of Biostatistics + Synthetic Derivative research infrastructure. Vanderbilt Data Science Institute (founded 2020) coordinates ~80+ affiliated faculty across School of Engineering + School of Medicine + School of Arts + Sciences. NIH-funded research grants drive sustained senior research-scientist hiring.
FedEx Memphis logistics + supply chain data science is the TN-distinctive corridor. FedEx World HQ (~9K HQ + ~530K global logistics) maintains the largest US logistics data science bench — ~200+ data scientists across supply chain optimization, air cargo routing, ground operations, predictive maintenance, plus customer + last-mile delivery analytics. AutoZone retail + inventory analytics. International Paper packaging operations analytics. Memphis is unmatched for logistics-data specialty depth.
East TN federal-research data science (ORNL HPC + TVA grid + Y-12) is the second TN-distinctive specialty. Oak Ridge National Laboratory ($2B/yr DOE budget) operates the Summit + Frontier supercomputers (Frontier is the world's first exascale supercomputer, 1.1 exaflops). ORNL data science includes scientific computing, climate modeling, materials science, nuclear physics, plus AI for science research. TVA HQ Knoxville maintains grid + power generation analytics. Federal-research data scientists earn $145-285K + clearance + FERS + .
Tennessee as a data scientist — HCA + Vanderbilt UMC healthcare analytics, Asurion + Oracle tech, FedEx Memphis logistics, ORNL HPC + TVA grid
Nashville healthcare analytics is the largest TN data science bench. HCA Healthcare One Park Plaza campus runs ~300+ data scientists across clinical outcomes + value-based care + EHR data warehousing + the largest US administrative + claims dataset (~35M patient encounters annually). Vanderbilt UMC + Vanderbilt Data Science Institute adds ~150+ data scientists across VICTR + Biostatistics + Synthetic Derivative research. Methodist Le Bonheur + Ardent + Lifepoint fill out the healthcare analytics ecosystem.
Nashville tech data science centers on Asurion HQ (Charlotte Avenue downtown) + Oracle Cumberland campus (under construction) + AllianceBernstein Nashville Yards + Amazon HQ East. Asurion's data team supports mobile + claims processing + tech-insurance fraud detection across ~300M+ end users globally. Oracle's scaling Nashville data science transferring from Austin TX patterns. AllianceBernstein institutional-investment quant + portfolio analytics.
Memphis logistics + supply chain data science is the TN-distinctive corridor. FedEx World HQ (~9K HQ + ~530K global logistics + ~200+ data scientists) maintains the largest US logistics data science bench across supply chain optimization, air cargo routing, ground operations, predictive maintenance. AutoZone retail + inventory analytics. International Paper packaging operations analytics. Memphis logistics data depth is unmatched in any US market.
East TN federal-research data science (ORNL HPC + TVA grid + Y-12) is the second TN-distinctive specialty. ORNL operates Frontier (1.1 exaflops, world's first exascale supercomputer) + Summit + Titan supercomputer systems. Scientific computing, climate modeling, materials science, nuclear physics, AI for science. TVA HQ Knoxville grid + power generation analytics. Federal-research data scientists combine $145-285K + clearance + FERS pension + .
How TN taxes work for data scientists — 0% income, RSU-heavy comp tax efficiency, federal-AGI conformity
TN charges 0% state income tax — substantial advantage at every data science comp tier. At Senior Data Scientist $185K cash + $90K annual vest, TN saves $20,000+ versus CA's 8.0% blended or NY's 7.5%. At Principal $345K cash + $200K RSU, TN saves $35K+ versus CA. Over 20-25 year career, TN-vs-CA delta compounds to $600K+.
TN federal- conformity is clean. No state tax means no add-back of federal pre-tax , , FSA, or IRA contributions. Mega Backdoor Roth at HCA, Asurion, Oracle, AllianceBernstein, Bridgestone flows through cleanly at federal-only level. Senior CDO + VP Data equity events face only federal LTCG (15-20%) plus NIIT (3.8%) — no state CGT pickup like WA's 7% above $270K.
TN property tax ~0.71% effective — well below TX 1.6-2.5% peers. A Senior Data Scientist at $185K cash + $90K owning a $750K Green Hills home pays ~$5,300/yr property tax versus $12,000-18,750 on Austin equivalent. Property tax doesn't offset the 'no state income tax' savings.
TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest alongside LA) — regressive offset at new-grad + mid-career tiers ($85-175K). At Principal + Senior Director levels small relative to comp. TN doesn't exempt groceries from sales tax (one of 13 states fully taxing food).
- →Capture employer match before anything else. HCA (50% match up to 9% = 4.5% effective — most generous), Asurion (75% on first 6% = 4.5%), Oracle Nashville (50% on first 6% = 3%), AllianceBernstein (50% on first 6%), Bridgestone (50% on first 6%), FedEx (3.5% Profit Sharing + Pension), Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt Retirement Plan + optional + optional — multi-defer eligibility).
- →Max your ($24,500 in 2026). At TN 0% state plus federal 22-32% brackets, every $1,000 deferred saves $220-$320. At Principal Data Scientist $345K+ in the 32-35% bracket, $320-$350.
- → at large-employer plans. §415(c) cap $72,000 (2026). HCA, Asurion, Oracle, AllianceBernstein, Bridgestone, FedEx, Vanderbilt all offer after-tax / with in-plan Roth conversion. After $24,500 employee + match, $25-35K MBR room. At TN 0% plus federal 32-35%, MBR converts $30K of after-tax space into perpetual Roth tax-free growth.
- →Healthcare data science specialty (HCA + Vanderbilt UMC + Methodist Le Bonheur) commands 15-25% premium over generalist data science. Clinical workflow understanding + HIPAA + HITECH + Joint Commission + CMS regulatory depth + EHR + Epic + Cerner experience is scarce talent. Senior healthcare data scientists at HCA capital clear $245-345K cash + .
- →Tech / cloud data science at Asurion + Oracle Nashville commands 20-35% premium over non-tech. Asurion's leveling + Oracle's Austin-pattern comp transferred to Nashville — Sr / Staff TC routinely $285-485K with vesting streams by year 10.
- →ORNL + TVA federal-research data science career path. Combine $145-285K + clearance + FERS pension + eligibility + 4-day workweek + ~$30K clearance premium for TS/SCI. Frontier exascale supercomputer access + AI for science research grant pipeline plus the world's most powerful scientific computing infrastructure outside DOE labs.
Three TN metros for data scientists — Nashville HCA + Asurion + Vanderbilt, Memphis FedEx + AutoZone, Knoxville ORNL HPC + TVA
TN data science splits by region + industry. Nashville is HCA + Vanderbilt UMC + Vanderbilt Data Science Institute + Asurion + Oracle + AllianceBernstein + Amazon HQ East. Memphis is FedEx + AutoZone + International Paper logistics. Knoxville is ORNL HPC + TVA + Y-12 + Eastman.
Nashville (HCA + Vanderbilt + Asurion + Oracle)
New-grad $85-115K · Sr DS $145-225K · Staff $185-285K · Principal $245-385K · Sr Director $345-585K · CDO $485-1.2M+ RSUTN's data science core. HCA Healthcare (~300+ data scientists, largest US healthcare bench). Vanderbilt UMC + Vanderbilt Data Science Institute (~150+ across VICTR + Biostatistics + Synthetic Derivative). Asurion Nashville (~5K global, substantial data bench). Oracle Nashville (scaling through 2031). AllianceBernstein institutional quant. Amazon HQ East. Methodist Le Bonheur + Ardent + Lifepoint healthcare analytics.
Belle Meade / Forest Hills ($1.4-3.5M+ Senior Director / VP), Green Hills / Oak Hill ($875K-$2.4M Principal / Director), Hillsboro Village / Germantown ($550K-$1.2M Senior + Staff walkable), Brentwood / Franklin ($750K-$2.5M family-stage corporate). Davidson County 0.71% property tax effective.
Memphis (FedEx World HQ + AutoZone + International Paper)
New-grad $80-105K · Sr DS $125-185K · Staff $155-245K · Principal $205-325K · Sr Director $285-485KTN's logistics + supply chain data science corridor. FedEx World HQ (~9K HQ + ~530K global + ~200+ data scientists — largest US logistics data bench). AutoZone retail + inventory analytics. International Paper packaging + manufacturing operations analytics. Methodist Le Bonheur + UTHSC Med District adds healthcare analytics depth. Memphis logistics data specialty depth is unmatched.
East Memphis ($425-825K SF Sr DS / Staff), Germantown / Collierville ($550-1,150K family senior + Principal), Midtown ($375-750K urban), Bartlett ($425-825K family). Shelby County 1.31% property tax — higher than Davidson.
Knoxville / Oak Ridge (ORNL HPC + TVA + Y-12 + Eastman)
New-grad $75-105K · Sr DS $115-175K · Staff $145-225K · Principal $185-305K · ORNL clearance + locality $15-30K premiumEast TN's federal-research data science corridor. Oak Ridge National Laboratory ($2B/yr DOE, Frontier 1.1 exaflops world's first exascale supercomputer + Summit + Titan). Scientific computing, climate modeling, materials science, nuclear physics, AI for science. TVA HQ Knoxville grid + power generation analytics. Y-12 National Security Complex (nuclear weapons). Eastman Chemical B2B data analytics. UT Knoxville research.
Sequoyah Hills / Westmoreland ($550-950K SF), West Knoxville ($385-725K family), Bearden ($325-625K), Farragut suburb ($425-725K Oak Ridge commute), Oak Ridge ($325-585K ORNL + Y-12 proximity). Knox County 0.85% property tax.
The TN data scientist career arc — new-grad through Senior Director / VP Data / CDO
TN data science careers typically start with Vanderbilt School of Engineering + Department of Biostatistics + Data Science Institute, UT Knoxville Tickle College of Engineering, Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, Tennessee State University, Belmont University, or out-of-state programs (CMU CS + MS in Data Science, Stanford ICME, MIT CSAIL, Berkeley CS). New-grad Data Scientist $85-115K cash + at HCA / Asurion / Oracle / AllianceBernstein / Vanderbilt research / FedEx. Years 1-2 establish specialty (healthcare / tech / logistics / federal / academic).
Senior Data Scientist (years 3-7): comp $145-225K cash + . Asurion senior / Oracle IC-T3. Specialty depth fork between IC excellence (Staff → Principal → Senior Principal) versus management (Manager → Director → VP). Healthcare data science specialty at HCA + Vanderbilt UMC commands 15-25% premium. Tech / cloud data science at Asurion + Oracle commands 20-35% premium.
Staff / Senior / Principal (years 7-12): comp $185-385K cash + . Asurion staff + Oracle IC-T4-T5. Cross-team data leadership + complex problem ownership. RSU vest streams compound — Principal total comp routinely exceeds $385K at Asurion + Oracle Nashville by year 12. ORNL federal-research senior combines $185-285K + clearance + FERS + — genuinely favorable for early-career data scientists carrying doctoral debt.
Senior Director / VP Data / CDO (years 12+): Senior Director Data at Asurion / Oracle / HCA $345-685K cash + . VP Data Science at HCA + Bridgestone + FedEx $485-885K cash + RSU. CDO at Asurion / Oracle Nashville / scale-stage tech $585K-$1.2M+ cash + RSU. TN's 0% income tax + 0.71% property tax + ORNL federal benefits combine to make senior TN data science careers financially better than CA / NY / OR peers.
Where TN data scientists live — Belle Meade, Green Hills, Brentwood, East Memphis, Sequoyah Hills, Oak Ridge
TN data scientists cluster by region + industry. Nashville HCA + Vanderbilt UMC + Asurion + Oracle gravitate to downtown townhomes (new-grad / Sr DS), Hillsboro Village / Germantown (Staff), Green Hills (Principal), Belle Meade / Forest Hills (Senior Director / VP). Brentwood / Franklin attracts the Nissan + Tractor Supply corporate cluster. Memphis senior to East Memphis / Germantown. Knoxville + Oak Ridge ORNL + TVA federal-research to Sequoyah Hills + Oak Ridge.
Belle Meade / Forest Hills (Senior Director / VP Data)
5-15 min downtown · top-tier · $1.4-3.5M+ SF · primary CDO / VP Data residential
Green Hills / Oak Hill (Nashville Principal / Director)
10-20 min downtown · $875K-$2.4M SF · mid-career Principal + Staff DS standard
Hillsboro Village / Germantown (Sr DS / Staff walkable)
5-15 min downtown · $550K-$1.2M SF · Sr DS + Staff Designer walkable urban + Vanderbilt UMC proximity
Brentwood / Franklin (Williamson Co Nissan + corporate)
20-30 min downtown · $750K-$2.5M family · top schools · in-house corporate + healthcare analytics
East Memphis (Memphis Sr DS / Staff)
10-15 min downtown · $425-825K SF · FedEx + AutoZone + IP senior data residential
Germantown / Collierville (Memphis family senior)
20-30 min downtown · $550-1,150K SF · top schools · in-house Principal + Sr Director residential
Sequoyah Hills (Knoxville senior + ORNL)
5-10 min downtown · $550-950K SF · senior Knoxville data + ORNL HPC residential
Oak Ridge (ORNL + Y-12 cleared)
$325-585K SF · 5-10 min ORNL + Y-12 · federal-cleared data scientist + locality premium
TN public transit is minimal — Nashville WeGo, Memphis MATA, Knoxville KAT serve downtown but most data scientists commute via personal vehicle. Most senior data scientists anchor to one corridor — career mobility between Nashville HQs is high but cross-state pivots (Nashville-Memphis) require relocation.
Is this the right move?
TN for data scientists — who it actually works for
Working in your favor
- +TN 0% state income tax — substantial advantage at every comp tier, especially RSU-heavy Senior + Principal tiers at Asurion / Oracle / HCA
- +HCA Healthcare (~300+ data scientists) + Vanderbilt UMC (~150+) + Vanderbilt Data Science Institute is the deepest non-coastal US healthcare data science concentration
- +Asurion + Oracle Nashville + AllianceBernstein tech / cloud data science bench is the deepest non-coastal tech data science concentration — 20-35% premium over generalist
- +FedEx Memphis logistics + supply chain data science (~200+ data scientists) is the largest US logistics data bench — distinctive specialty depth
- +ORNL HPC (Frontier 1.1 exaflops first exascale supercomputer) + TVA grid + Y-12 federal-research data science is TN-distinctive career — clearance + FERS + PSLF
Worth knowing before you sign
- −TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest alongside LA) — regressive offset at new-grad + mid-career tiers
- −Nashville CDO comp ($1.2M top-end) trails Bay Area + NYC + Seattle at the very top end — career-cap matters for senior directors weighing relocation
- −TN PhD / doctoral debt loads $80-150K pressure new-grad cash flow — PSLF via Vanderbilt / ORNL / VA / community is critical early-career planning
- −TN does not exempt groceries from sales tax (one of 13 states fully taxing food) — meaningful tax burden at lower income tiers
- −ORNL clearance pursuit takes 12-24 months — career pivot from corporate data science to federal-research is slower than reverse direction
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