Lactation Consultant Salaries in Tennessee - TN

The State of Tennessee’s health officials actively advocate breastfeeding as the best option for mothers and infants and have passed legislation that protects a mother’s right to nurse a baby 12 months of age or younger in any public or private location.  However, according to the Breastfeeding Report Card published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC,) in the United States the average percentage of infants ever breastfed is 73.9, while for Tennessee it is 58.8 percent. The Tennessee Department of Health strongly encourages workplaces and communities to establish a breastfeeding-friendly environment and recognizes that lactation consultants can play an important role assisting and educating mothers and their families.

Many hospitals, obstetricians’ offices, and clinics run lactation education classes and also offer consultations to support nursing mothers. For example, the Women's Education and Lactation at Vanderbilt University Hospital offers breastfeeding classes, in-house consultations, and telephone consultations. Other hospitals with breastfeeding services include Memorial Hospital, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and Nashville's Baptist Hospital.

Lactation consultant salaries in Tennessee may vary, depending upon location, facility, and medical training. As a general rule, according to the job site Indeed.com, the following salaries can be taken as guides for lactation consultants. Tennessee, as an average:  $79,000/yr; Memphis:  $64,000/yr; Nashville:  $67,000/yr; Knoxville: $73,000/yr; Knoxville:  $73,000/yr; Chattanooga: $65,000/yr; Clarksville: $69,000/yr; Murfreesboro:  $68,000/yr.