General & Operations Managers salary in Chattanooga, TN
Median pay for general & operations managers in Chattanooga, TN: $96,680/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $42,080 – $213,490 · about 5,500 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($97,370) by −$690 (-1%).
What it's really worth in Chattanooga
With Chattanooga's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $96,680 has the buying power of about $104,689 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $65,387 · median home $326,370 · median rent $1,530/mo.
How Chattanooga ranks for this job
On raw pay, Chattanooga, TN is 97th of the 186 metros we hold general & operations managers wages for. Once Chattanooga's cost of living is applied, it ranks 57th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Chattanooga is one of the places where general & operations managers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Chattanooga
A median home in Chattanooga, TN costs $326,370 — about 3.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,530/mo works out at 19% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where general & operations managers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Chattanooga.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Chattanooga | Rent vs Chattanooga |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $166,660 | +72% | 2.4× |
| Trenton, NJ | $154,790 | +60% | 1.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $143,250 | +48% | 2.1× |
| Washington, DC | $142,730 | +48% | 1.6× |
Same job elsewhere in TN
| Metro | Median pay | vs Chattanooga | Rent vs Chattanooga |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, TN | $101,750 | +5% | 1.2× |
| Knoxville, TN | $101,170 | +5% | 1.2× |
| Memphis, TN | $95,460 | −1% | 0.9× |
| Kingsport, TN | $94,290 | −2% | 0.9× |
Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires general & operations managers around Chattanooga
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Volkswagen Group of America · Manufacturing
- Erlanger Health System · Healthcare
- McKee Foods · Manufacturing
Other jobs in Chattanooga
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.