GeraJobs / US Wage Premium / Polk County, TN
Polk County, Tennessee — Wages & Employment (2023)
Ranked #3,016 of 3,141 US counties by the Gera Local Wage Premium US (53.3, US = 100) — computed from real BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data.
What is the average wage in Polk County, TN?
Polk County, TN has a GLWP-US of 53.3 (rank #3,016 of 3,141), well below the US average. Average weekly wage: $742 (~$38,584/year, US = $1392/wk). Its highest-concentration sector is Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (LQ 5.85x). Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
Gera Local Wage Premium US
Polk County's wage premium vs US average (rank #3,016 of 3,141). Well below the US average.
How this is calculated$742
Avg weekly wage (2023)
$38,584
Approx annual pay
53.3
GLWP-US (US = 100)
#3,016 / 3,141
National rank
2,769
Average employment
$1,392
US avg weekly wage
Polk County vs US average — wage comparison
| Metric | Polk County | US Average | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg weekly wage | $742 | $1,392 | -$650 |
| Approx annual pay | $38,584 | $72,384 | -$33,800 |
| GLWP-US index | 53.3 | 100.0 | -46.7 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023, all industries, all ownership types. Annual pay = weekly wage × 52 (derived). GLWP-US = (county wage / US $1392/wk) × 100.
Polk County — top industries by employment concentration
Location Quotient (LQ) > 1.0 means the industry is more concentrated here than the US average. Private sector, BLS QCEW 2023.
| Industry (NAICS sector) | LQ | Avg Wk Wage (sector) |
|---|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 5.85x | $272 |
| Real Estate & Rental and Leasing | 1.48x | $887 |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1.40x | $373 |
| Retail Trade | 1.22x | $618 |
| Manufacturing | 1.02x | $770 |
LQ = (county sector employment share) / (US sector employment share). Source: BLS QCEW 2023, agglvl_code=74, own_code=5 (private sector).
Polk County — GLWP-US breakdown
GLWP-US
53.3
US = 100
National Rank
#3,016
of 3,141 counties
Wage Premium
$650
vs US avg/wk
GLWP-US = 53.3 (rank #3,016 of 3,141, well below the US average). Formula: ($742/wk ÷ $1392/wk) × 100 = 53.3.
Explore US County Wage Premiums — Interactive
US average = $$1,392/wk (GLWP-US 100). Showing top 50 results.
| Rank | County | State | GLWP-US | Avg Wk Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #61 | Williamson County | TN | 115.8 | $1,612 |
| #81 | Roane County | TN | 111.3 | $1,549 |
| #93 | Davidson County | TN | 108.6 | $1,512 |
| #129 | Anderson County | TN | 103.4 | $1,440 |
| #186 | Shelby County | TN | 96.9 | $1,349 |
| #312 | Hamilton County | TN | 89.7 | $1,249 |
| #381 | Knox County | TN | 86.4 | $1,203 |
| #430 | Blount County | TN | 84.3 | $1,174 |
| #442 | Maury County | TN | 84.1 | $1,170 |
| #462 | Rutherford County | TN | 83.5 | $1,162 |
| #522 | Sullivan County | TN | 82.3 | $1,146 |
| #539 | Humphreys County | TN | 81.9 | $1,140 |
| #548 | Haywood County | TN | 81.8 | $1,138 |
| #567 | Stewart County | TN | 81.5 | $1,134 |
| #597 | Moore County | TN | 80.8 | $1,125 |
| #701 | Sumner County | TN | 78.4 | $1,091 |
| #725 | Madison County | TN | 78.0 | $1,086 |
| #810 | Cheatham County | TN | 76.9 | $1,071 |
| #811 | Coffee County | TN | 76.9 | $1,071 |
| #855 | Fayette County | TN | 76.1 | $1,060 |
| #909 | Wilson County | TN | 75.6 | $1,053 |
| #915 | Unicoi County | TN | 75.5 | $1,051 |
| #924 | Rhea County | TN | 75.4 | $1,049 |
| #930 | Crockett County | TN | 75.3 | $1,048 |
| #1,009 | Washington County | TN | 74.2 | $1,033 |
| #1,018 | Loudon County | TN | 74.1 | $1,032 |
| #1,056 | Bradley County | TN | 73.7 | $1,026 |
| #1,092 | Meigs County | TN | 73.3 | $1,021 |
| #1,132 | Jefferson County | TN | 72.7 | $1,012 |
| #1,140 | Robertson County | TN | 72.6 | $1,010 |
| #1,141 | Smith County | TN | 72.6 | $1,011 |
| #1,189 | Hawkins County | TN | 72.1 | $1,003 |
| #1,206 | Marshall County | TN | 71.9 | $1,001 |
| #1,291 | Grainger County | TN | 71.0 | $988 |
| #1,317 | Johnson County | TN | 70.8 | $985 |
| #1,411 | Dyer County | TN | 70.0 | $975 |
| #1,412 | Hickman County | TN | 70.0 | $975 |
| #1,440 | Bedford County | TN | 69.7 | $970 |
| #1,452 | Hardeman County | TN | 69.5 | $968 |
| #1,464 | Tipton County | TN | 69.4 | $966 |
| #1,501 | Franklin County | TN | 69.1 | $962 |
| #1,535 | Trousdale County | TN | 68.9 | $959 |
| #1,590 | DeKalb County | TN | 68.5 | $954 |
| #1,600 | Monroe County | TN | 68.4 | $952 |
| #1,624 | Montgomery County | TN | 68.2 | $950 |
| #1,686 | Hardin County | TN | 67.7 | $943 |
| #1,692 | Hamblen County | TN | 67.6 | $941 |
| #1,707 | Dickson County | TN | 67.5 | $940 |
| #1,708 | Putnam County | TN | 67.5 | $939 |
| #1,715 | Giles County | TN | 67.4 | $938 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023 Annual Single File, US public domain. GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage ÷ US avg $1,392/wk) × 100. Top sector LQ = employment location quotient (private sector). Computed by GeraJobs.
Polk County wages — FAQ
- What is the GLWP-US score for Polk County, TN?
- Polk County, TN has a Gera Local Wage Premium US (GLWP-US) of 53.3 (US average = 100), ranking #3,016 of 3,141 US counties. This puts it well below the US average. Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
- What is the average weekly wage in Polk County, Tennessee?
- The BLS QCEW 2023 data shows the annual average weekly wage in Polk County, Tennessee is $742, equating to approximately $38,584/year. The US average is $1392/wk ($72,384/year). GLWP-US: 53.3 (US = 100).
- How many people are employed in Polk County?
- In 2023, Polk County, Tennessee had an annual average employment of 2,769 workers covered by unemployment insurance, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This covers private-sector and government workers across all industries.
- What industries are most concentrated in Polk County?
- Based on BLS QCEW 2023 employment Location Quotients, the most concentrated private-sector industries in Polk County, Tennessee are: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (LQ 5.85x, avg $272/wk); Real Estate & Rental and Leasing (LQ 1.48x, avg $887/wk); Accommodation & Food Services (LQ 1.40x, avg $373/wk); Retail Trade (LQ 1.22x, avg $618/wk); Manufacturing (LQ 1.02x, avg $770/wk). An LQ above 1.0 means the county has a higher share of that industry than the US overall.
- How does Polk County's wage compare to Tennessee overall?
- Polk County has a GLWP-US of 53.3 vs the US average of 100. To see how Polk County compares to other counties in Tennessee, explore the full GeraJobs US Wage Premium rankings. The GLWP-US is computed from BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data covering all industries and ownership types.
How the Gera Local Wage Premium US is calculated
GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage / US avg weekly wage) × 100. US average $1392/wk in 2023 → US = 100 by construction. Data: BLS QCEW 2023 annual singlefile, all industries, all ownership. Suppressed cells excluded. No imputation. Full methodology · Licence: US public domain.
Find jobs in Polk County
Search live roles across Polk County and nearby areas on GeraJobs.
Get Polk County wage updates
We'll notify you when BLS QCEW 2024 data is published — including the updated wage premium for Polk County, Tennessee.
Other counties in Tennessee by GLWP-US
Related on GeraJobs
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2023 Annual Single File (data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2023/csv/2023_annual_singlefile.zip). US public domain. Area title from BLS area_titles.csv. FIPS: 47139. No figure is modelled or estimated.