Mechatronics technician salary in Tennessee (2026)

How much does a mechatronics technician make in Tennessee?

The spread in Tennessee is tighter than the national one. Entry-level techs at the 10th percentile earn about $51,410, while the 90th percentile tops out near $85,490. That is a narrower band than the US range, which runs from the high $40Ks past $109,000 at the top. In practice that means Tennessee has a solid, dependable floor but a lower ceiling than high-cost manufacturing states.

The middle 50% of Tennessee techs land between $58,710 and $72,050, so if you are quoting a realistic number for a mid-career maintenance or automation role in the state, that is your window. The top decile above $85,490 tends to be the techs who run PLC and robotics work at the big auto plants, carry a controls specialty, or move into lead and shift-supervisor roles.

The low location quotient of 0.58 matters when you read these numbers. It does not mean the work isn't here. Tennessee has a heavy automotive and warehouse-automation base. It means a lot of that work is titled as industrial maintenance or electrical tech rather than mechatronics, so the counted sample is small and skews toward employers who use the formal title.

Tennessee mechatronics salary: BLS vs Salary.com vs Indeed

The three sources disagree, and it is worth knowing why before you walk into a negotiation. BLS puts the Tennessee median at $64,720. That is a government survey of what employers actually pay, and it is the most reliable single figure. Salary.com models a lower average of $54,865 from HR compensation data, which tends to run conservative for skilled trades. Indeed reports about $67,933 from job postings, but that figure rests on just 4 reported salaries, so treat it as a loose signal, not a fact.

The reason the postings-based numbers sit higher is that employers advertise to attract candidates, while the BLS survey captures the whole workforce including the folks who have been in the same role for years. When you negotiate, anchor to the BLS median of $64,720 and the middle-50% band of $58,710 to $72,050. Use the higher Indeed number only if you already hold a controls or robotics specialty a specific employer is hiring for.

Mechatronics technician pay by metro area in Tennessee

Metro-level data is thin here. Indeed lists Louisville, TN at about $68,130, which sits a few thousand above the state median but is drawn from a tiny sample. For a more useful read, look at where the manufacturing is: the Nashville, Smyrna, Spring Hill, and Chattanooga corridors carry the auto and supplier plants that pay the upper half of the state range, and that is where the top-decile controls jobs concentrate.

Job outlook for mechatronics technicians in Tennessee

Tennessee projects this occupation growing about 1.8% between 2024 and 2034, from a base of 930 to 950 in the broader electro-mechanical grouping. That is modest, but it beats the national projection of 0.7%, so the state is at least trending the right direction while much of the country flattens out.

The number that actually matters for job-hunting is openings, not net growth. Tennessee expects about 80 openings a year in this group. Almost all of those come from turnover and retirements rather than brand-new positions, which is normal for skilled trades and good news if you are entering the field. You can track live state postings through Tennessee's workforce services site.

How Tennessee compares with nearby states

Inside the South, Tennessee sits in the lower-middle of the pack. Neighboring Georgia pays a higher median at $68,720 and Virginia reaches $74,880, while adjacent Kentucky ($65,270) and North Carolina ($63,330) land right around Tennessee's $64,720. So you are not in a low-wage pocket, but a short move toward Georgia or Virginia can add real money if your skill set travels.

Who hires mechatronics technicians in Tennessee

Tennessee's automotive plants are the biggest single source of mechatronics and automation-maintenance work. Nissan's assembly plant in Smyrna, General Motors' large Spring Hill campus, and Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant all run heavily automated lines that need techs who can troubleshoot PLCs, robotics, and conveyor and vision systems.

Beyond the automakers, the tier-one suppliers clustered around those plants, plus the distribution and warehouse-automation sites across the Nashville and Memphis corridors, hire the same skill set. Many of these roles get posted as industrial maintenance or controls technician rather than mechatronics, so search both titles when you look.

How to earn more as a mechatronics technician in Tennessee

Stack controls and robotics certs

The gap between Tennessee's median of $64,720 and the top decile of $85,490 is mostly a skills gap. Techs who can program and debug PLCs, run robot cells, and handle vision systems are the ones the auto plants pay at the top of the range. Build a stack of vendor certs (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, FANUC) to move up. See our certifications guide for where to start.

Cross into Georgia or Virginia

Geography is a lever here. Georgia's median runs $68,720 and Virginia's reaches $74,880, both above Tennessee's $64,720. If you are near Chattanooga or the eastern edge of the state, a role across the line can add several thousand a year for the same work, especially if you carry a controls specialty that travels.

Step up to the controls-engineer track

The clearest ceiling-breaker is moving off the technician title entirely. Controls and automation engineers who design and commission the systems techs maintain earn well above the $85,490 top decile. If you have the aptitude, an associate-to-bachelor path plus plant experience gets you there. Start with our controls engineer guide and the mechatronics salary guide.

Sources & methodology

Figures on this page come from four independent datasets, retrieved 2026-07-14. Where they disagree, the disagreement is shown rather than averaged away; the source-comparison section explains why each number differs.

• BLS OEWS, SOC 17-3024, May 2025 national and state estimates (state file oesm25st.zip). Employer-reported, the authoritative baseline.
• Salary.com, Mechatronics Technician in Tennessee, as of July 1, 2026. HR-reported and modelled averages.
• Indeed, mechatronics technician salaries in Tennessee, based on 4 reported salaries. Posting-derived.
• Projections Central, 2024–2034 state occupational projections produced by Tennessee's labor market agency (state source).