Provide medical care for exotic and wild animals in zoos and wildlife facilities. Median salary in Knoxville: $92K/year. Data from BLS, O*NET, and H-1B disclosures.
Figures represent annual base salary in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reviewed by SalaryOptics Editorial · How we calculate this →
Analysis derived from the salary, COL, tax, and labor-market figures above — specific to this role and city.
Zoo Veterinarians in Knoxville earn approximately 10% lower than the US national median for this role — a $10,000 discount on annual base salary. Knoxville's lower wage level partially reflects the area's cost-of-living index of 85 (US avg = 100).
Adjusted for Knoxville's cost-of-living index (85), the median Zoo Veterinarian salary buys the equivalent of $108,235 in a US-average-cost city. That's $6,235 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
Tennessee has no state income tax, which is worth roughly $8,556 per year at this salary level compared to a California Zoo Veterinarian on the same gross pay. A Knoxville Zoo Veterinarian would need to earn $101,433 in California to net the same take-home.
Based on BLS 2022–2032 Employment Projections and WEF Future of Jobs Report 2026. At current growth rates, median salary reaches $92K by 2030.
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The median Zoo Veterinarian salary in Knoxville, TN is $92,000 per year as of Q1 2026. This figure represents the midpoint of all reported compensation for this role in the Knoxville–TN metropolitan area, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, H-1B visa disclosures from the Department of Labor, and O*NET occupational data.
Entry-level Zoo Veterinarians in Knoxville with 0–2 years of experience typically earn between $68,000 and $92,000 annually. Mid-career professionals with 3–7 years command $92,000 to $124,000, while senior-level practitioners with 8+ years of experience regularly earn $124,000 to $164,000 or more.
Knoxville has a cost of living index of 85 compared to the US national average of 100. This means your salary goes approximately 15% further in Knoxville than the national average. Crucially, Tennessee has no state income tax — giving Knoxville-based Zoo Veterinarians an immediate 3–5% take-home pay advantage over workers in states like California (9.3%) or New York (6.85%).
DVM + zoo medicine residency; exotic animal experience. 0% of these roles offer some remote flexibility.