Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Jackson, TN MSA — October 2026
Jackson finance pay diverges sharply from national gains.
Metro FP&A Manager pay fell to $102,239 while the national median rose to $130,000, and Tax Specialist pay dropped to $43,209 even as national pay climbed to $69,556.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Jackson MSA unemployment: 3.9% — July 2026, down 0.5 pt YoY; vs 3.4% statewide
- Madison County unemployment: 4.3% — August 2026, softer than metro and state rates
- FP&A Manager pay gap: -21% — $102,239 metro vs $130,000 national median
- TN financial activities jobs: -4,100 — Over past year, statewide (TDLWD)
Key takeaways
FP&A Manager pay gap with national market is widening.
Metro advertised pay fell significantly to $102,239 while the national median climbed to $130,000, a spread that may push Jackson employers toward remote or hybrid FP&A hires over local recruitment. Budget models anchored to prior-year local figures risk understating what's needed to retain a finance leader considering a national remote offer.
Tax Specialist pay decline breaks from the national trend.
Metro advertised pay for Tax Specialists dropped significantly to $43,209 even as the national median rose to $69,556, a 38% gap that is unusual for a role typically insulated from local softening. Worth testing whether this reflects a real demand pullback or a thinning, less-representative sample of local postings.
Manufacturing investment hasn't translated into broad wage lift.
Siemens Healthineers, ArtiCast Jackson and Sam Dong collectively represent over $63 million in new investment and 200+ jobs, yet statewide manufacturing employment fell 1.7% over the year. Finance functions supporting these expansions should expect to compete for skilled finance and accounting support against a shrinking regional base.
Billing Specialist pay is moving against the broader metro pattern.
Metro advertised pay rose significantly to $39,520 while most other finance roles held stable or declined locally, suggesting employer-side competition is concentrated at the transactional end of the finance function. This may reflect increased reliance on billing/AR capacity as finance teams lean on contract and lower-tier roles to meet demand without expanding FTE headcount.
Median advertised pay by role — Jackson, TN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $107,795 | $112,500 | $117,946 | Stable | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant * | $72,888 | $82,332 | $85,906 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst * | $68,990 | $88,650 | $95,191 | Stable | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $33,280 | $39,520 | $42,389 | Significant increase | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $31,054 | $43,209 | $56,565 | Significant decline | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $52,826 | $60,770 | $65,537 | Moderate decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $83,283 | $102,239 | $125,210 | Significant decline | $130,000 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Jackson's unemployment rate sat at 3.9% in July 2026, down half a point from a year earlier, while Madison County registered 4.3% in August — both softer than Tennessee's 3.4% statewide rate, suggesting metro-level labor supply is looser than the state picture implies. Manufacturing employment has slipped 1.7% statewide over the year even as Jackson sees targeted capital investment (Siemens Healthineers, ArtiCast Jackson, Sam Dong), a pattern consistent with capacity additions outpacing net job growth of just 0.2% metro-wide.
What it means
Metro FP&A Manager advertised pay has fallen significantly to $102,239 against a national median of $130,000 moving up — a 21% gap that complicates headcount cost models built on national benchmarking assumptions and may understate retention risk for mid-career finance talent willing to relocate. Tennessee's financial activities sector shed 4,100 jobs over the year even as CFO turnover runs at 18.3% nationally, meaning Jackson Finance leaders face thinner local bench strength precisely when national vacancy risk is elevated. Consider stress-testing FY2027 headcount plans against national pay trajectories for finance leadership roles, since local advertised pay appears to be lagging the market Jackson competes in for talent.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Madison County's unemployment rate (4.3% in August) running above the metro's July reading (3.9%) is worth tracking for direction — a sustained county-level increase would be the first sign of broader softening beyond manufacturing.
Emerging pressure point: Statewide financial activities employment lost 4,100 jobs over the year while CFO and finance leadership turnover runs elevated nationally; watch whether Jackson-based finance leaders are drawn toward Nashville's tighter 3.1% unemployment market and stronger wage signals.
Worth watching: TNTalent's $5 million workforce development funding targets AI infrastructure and advanced manufacturing skills — relevant for Jackson Finance leaders evaluating internal automation investment in close processes and whether state funding can offset retraining costs.
Potential inflection point: The FP&A Manager and Tax Specialist pay divergence from national trends warrants a 60-day check against fresh postings data to confirm whether metro figures reflect a durable local repricing or a temporary sample effect from thin local ad volume.
Sources
- USA Facts / BLS — Jackson MSA unemployment at 3.9% in July 2026, down 0.5 pt YoY
- FRED / BLS — Madison County unemployment at 4.3% in August 2026
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Tennessee financial activities sector lost 4,100 jobs over the year
- Crist|Kolder — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development — Manufacturing investment figures for Siemens Healthineers, ArtiCast Jackson, Sam Dong
- State of Tennessee — TNTalent program funded with $5 million for workforce development
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. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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