.NET Developer Salary in Knoxville: $70,000-$120,000 (2026)

Knoxville's cost-of-living index (~92) means a . NET developer's salary buys more here than in large coastal metros.

Typical one-bedroom rents in walkable neighborhoods (Downtown, Old City, Fourth & Gill) range $900–$1,200; a two-bedroom goes $1,100–$1,500. Median single-family homes and mortgage costs are ~20–30% below U.

S. median, so a mid-level .

NET developer earning around $85K can afford homeownership earlier than peers in Nashville or Asheville. Commute expenses are lower: average drive times are under 25 minutes for many suburban commutes, and gas, insurance and parking costs align with Tennessee averages.

For developers, this translates to more discretionary income for training, certification, and local developer meetups. However, specialized contractor rates or niche cloud architect roles still pay better in higher-cost markets; remote work can be used to capture that premium while keeping Knoxville living costs.

Salaries reflect a mix of strong public-sector/research demand and a modest private tech ecosystem. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y‑12 projects create demand for secure, high-compliance .

NET development (C#, . NET Core, ASP.

NET) tied to federal contracts; those roles often pay toward the top of local ranges and include clearance-related premiums. Healthcare systems (Covenant Health, regional hospitals) need .

NET developers for EHR integrations, middleware, and internal tools, supporting steady mid-level hiring. TVA and manufacturing businesses require enterprise .

NET applications for SCADA integration, data ingestion, and reporting. Corporate IT shops (Pilot Company, Clayton Homes) hire for full-stack .

NET skills to support business systems. The result: moderate overall demand, with pockets of premium pay where federal, healthcare, or energy compliance is involved.

Compared with Chattanooga, Asheville, and especially Nashville, Knoxville offers lower housing costs and slightly lower nominal . NET salaries.

Nashville averages near $110K for comparable roles but carries a COL index ~110; the jump in pay may be offset by higher rent and longer commutes. Chattanooga pays a bit less (~$85K) with a COL closer to Knoxville, making short-distance relocation less impactful.

Asheville sits between with higher COL and slightly higher pay for lifestyle-driven tech hires. For Knoxville developers, commuting into Oak Ridge or short drives to Maryville are common; relocating to Nashville only makes sense if the role is 10–25%+ higher or offers exceptional career progression.

Remote work is viable: many local employers hire hybrid, and remote roles from larger companies let Knoxville-based . NET devs capture national pay while keeping local living costs.

Typical progression: entry (0–2 years) focuses on C#, ASP. NET Core, SQL Server, and source control, often in support or junior full-stack roles; expect $55–65K.

Mid-level (3–7 years) takes on API design, cloud deployments (Azure is common), CI/CD pipelines and mentorship—salaries cluster around $80–95K. Senior (8+ years) leads architecture, large integration projects (healthcare, federal), and may require security/compliance experience—salaries $100–125K in high-demand projects.

Accelerators: earning Azure certifications (AZ-204, AZ-400), experience with . NET Core microservices, cloud-native patterns, or clearance-qualified work for Oak Ridge can compress time-to-senior and command 10–20% premiums.

Moving into product or engineering manager roles in local mid-sized firms also yields upward mobility with salary bumps and broader leadership responsibilities.

Use local benchmarks: target $80–95K for experienced mid-level hires, $105K+ for senior engineers on federal or healthcare projects. Start negotiations by anchoring to relevant comparables (local healthcare system roles, ORNL contractor positions) and emphasize Azure/.

NET Core, security/compliance, and DevOps experience. Ask about contract premiums for clearance-sensitive work and overtime or on-call pay for operations-facing roles.

Common benefits to negotiate: flexible/hybrid scheduling, relocation stipends for in-state moves, professional training budgets, and certification reimbursement (Azure, security). Employers may be less flexible on base salary but open to bonuses, extra PTO, or remote days.

Culturally, Knoxville teams value demonstrated fit with collaborative, cross-functional teams—use concrete project outcomes and metrics (reduced query times, improved deployment frequency) rather than generic skill lists to justify raises.