{"schema_version": 1, "id": "tn-nonmetropolitan-area/finance/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 435, "label": "TN NONMETROPOLITAN AREA", "slug": "tn-nonmetropolitan-area"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T06:00:36.367562+00:00", "headline": "Nonmetro Tennessee finance pay falls as national rates climb.", "headline_summary": "FP&A Manager advertised pay in nonmetro Tennessee has dropped significantly to $102,239 against a national median of $130,000, even as eight rural counties post unemployment as low as 2.7%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Rural TN unemployment (lowest counties)", "value": "2.7%", "context": "Eight counties tied, vs 3.4% statewide"}, {"label": "FP&A Manager advertised pay", "value": "$102,239", "context": "Down significantly vs $130,000 national median"}, {"label": "Tax Specialist advertised pay", "value": "$39,870", "context": "Down significantly vs $69,556 national median"}, {"label": "TN financial activities jobs (YoY)", "value": "-4,100", "context": "Against statewide +28,400 nonfarm job gain"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Nonmetro finance pay is falling while national rates climb.", "body": "FP&A Manager advertised pay dropped significantly to $102,239 locally against a national median of $130,000 moving up moderately \u2014 a gap that didn't exist a year ago. Retention plans built on prior-year comparables may understate what it now costs to backfill this role from outside the region."}, {"headline": "Tax Specialist pay signals a widening skills premium nationally.", "body": "Metro Tax Specialist advertised pay fell significantly to $39,870 while the national median rose sharply to $69,556, nearly double the local figure. Nonmetro employers competing for tax talent during close and audit season may need to recruit from outside the immediate labor pool or accept longer vacancy durations."}, {"headline": "Record-low rural unemployment hasn't translated into finance wage gains.", "body": "Eight Tennessee counties tied at 2.7% unemployment in September, among the tightest labor markets in the state, yet Controller, Senior Accountant and Financial Analyst advertised pay all held stable. Finance roles appear to be sitting outside the wage pressure building in hospitality and government hiring."}, {"headline": "Statewide financial activities job losses point to sector-specific restructuring.", "body": "Tennessee financial activities employment declined by 4,100 positions over the past year even as total nonfarm payrolls grew by 28,400. Nonmetro finance leaders should treat this as a signal that headcount reductions are shaping the available talent pool alongside slower hiring."}], "local_conditions": "Tennessee's nonmetropolitan counties posted declining unemployment across all 95 counties in September, with eight rural counties tying at 2.7% \u2014 a tightness level that leaves little slack for finance teams recruiting outside Nashville and Memphis. Statewide financial activities employment fell by 4,100 jobs over the past year even as leisure/hospitality and government added headcount, suggesting finance talent in nonmetro areas faces both a shrinking peer labor pool and wage competition from expanding sectors.", "implications": "Metro-area advertised pay for FP&A Manager ($102,239) and Credit Analyst ($64,338) roles has moved down significantly even as national medians for the same roles hold flat or rise, indicating nonmetro Finance functions may be losing pricing power relative to national benchmarks despite tight local unemployment. That divergence complicates headcount cost planning for close-cycle and audit-critical roles, where CFO turnover nationally sits at 18.3% and 85% of CFOs report talent shortages \u2014 pressure that nonmetro finance teams may feel acutely given a shallower regional candidate pool. Consider reviewing whether declining advertised pay for mid-level finance roles reflects softening local demand or a data lag that understates true replacement cost during the next vacancy.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Watch whether the gap between nonmetro and national advertised pay for FP&A Manager and Tax Specialist roles narrows or widens over the next reporting cycle \u2014 a continued widening would suggest nonmetro Finance functions need off-cycle pay adjustments to stay competitive for scarce talent."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "TNTalent's $5 million workforce development funding targets nuclear energy, AI infrastructure and advanced manufacturing \u2014 sectors likely to compete with finance for analytically skilled talent in nonmetro labor markets. Monitor whether these initiatives pull candidates away from finance and accounting pipelines."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Tennessee's 49 WARN notices affecting 6,603 workers through October have been concentrated in manufacturing and consumer goods, with financial services largely untouched so far. A shift toward finance-sector WARN activity in coming weeks would materially change the nonmetro finance candidate supply."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Statewide job growth is projected at just 31,400 for 2026, down from a typical 60,000 annual pace. Slower overall growth combined with tight unemployment could keep nonmetro finance vacancies open longer, raising the case for budgeting contract or interim coverage during close cycles."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 95560.0, "metro_p50": 111640.0, "metro_p75": 119337.25, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 115420.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Senior Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 45905.0, "metro_p50": 75854.0, "metro_p75": 80000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 87731.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 68355.0, "metro_p50": 78585.0, "metro_p75": 89096.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Billing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 34522.75, "metro_p50": 37440.0, "metro_p75": 47728.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 49000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Tax Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 31164.0, "metro_p50": 39870.0, "metro_p75": 42415.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 69556.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Credit Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55000.0, "metro_p50": 64338.0, "metro_p75": 68685.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71397.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "FP&A Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 83283.0, "metro_p50": 102239.0, "metro_p75": 125210.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 130000.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "Unemployment declined in all 95 TN counties in September, eight tied at 2.7%"}, {"source_name": "Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "TN financial activities sector lost 4,100 jobs over the past year"}, {"source_name": "Crist|Kolder / MAVI", "source_url": null, "statement": "CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, 85% of CFOs report talent shortages"}, {"source_name": "Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "TNTalent program provides $5M federal funding for workforce development"}, {"source_name": "Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "49 WARN notices affected 6,603 TN workers through October 20, 2026"}, {"source_name": "Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "TN 2026 job growth projected at 31,400, down from typical 60,000/year pace"}], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "tn-nonmetropolitan-area/finance/2026-10.html", "pdf": "tn-nonmetropolitan-area/finance/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:31:20.183371+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/tn-nonmetropolitan-area/finance/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/tn-nonmetropolitan-area/finance/2026-10.pdf"}