Most of Knoxville is in Knox County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $35.40 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 30 ZIP codes in Knoxville with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $950 to $1,660 a month. At the middle rent, $1,220, a full-time job would need to pay $36.82 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37901 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37902 | Knox County | $1,510/mo | $47.12/hr |
| 37909 | Knox County | $1,160/mo | $34.71/hr |
| 37912 | Knox County | $1,090/mo | $32.50/hr |
| 37914 | Knox County | $1,060/mo | $31.57/hr |
| 37915 | Knox County | $950/mo | $28.15/hr |
| 37916 | Knox County | $1,200/mo | $36.11/hr |
| 37917 | Knox County | $1,270/mo | $38.59/hr |
| 37918 | Knox County | $1,160/mo | $34.71/hr |
| 37919 | Knox County | $1,380/mo | $42.50/hr |
| 37920 | Knox County | $1,100/mo | $32.81/hr |
| 37921 | Knox County | $1,210/mo | $36.46/hr |
| 37922 | Knox County | $1,660/mo | $52.45/hr |
| 37923 | Knox County | $1,400/mo | $43.21/hr |
| 37924 | Knox County | $1,060/mo | $31.57/hr |
| 37927 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37928 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37929 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37930 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37931 | Knox County | $1,470/mo | $45.70/hr |
| 37932 | Knox County | $1,520/mo | $47.48/hr |
| 37933 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37938 | Knox County | $1,180/mo | $35.40/hr |
| 37939 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37940 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37950 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37995 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37996 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37997 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
| 37998 | Knox County | $1,220/mo | $36.82/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Knoxville needs to pay at least $35.40 an hour before taxes, about $73,625 a year. That is the figure for Knox County, where the typical studio rent is $1,180 a month.
Yes. Across the 30 ZIP codes in Knoxville with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $950 to $1,660 a month. At the middle rent of $1,220, the pay needed would be $36.82 an hour.
The minimum wage in Knox County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.9 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads