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$38,000 USD is the average salary for a Supply Chain Intern in the Chattanooga, TN region, reflecting a local market that runs roughly 10% below the national average of approximately $42,000. This page covers hourly and annualized pay bands, experience tiers, city comparisons across the Southeast logistics corridor, and the key variables - employer type, shift requirements, and specialization - that push offers higher or lower. Ranges vary widely based on whether the internship is hosted by a 3PL, a manufacturer, or a retailer, and whether the role carries on-site or shift-work expectations.
Pay rises meaningfully with each additional rotation, co-op term, or technical tool added to your profile.
$31,000 - $38,000 USD
Entry-level placements at Chattanooga-area manufacturers or 3PLs typically fall here, with pay driven by company size and whether the role is on-site or shift-based.
$36,000 - $44,000 USD
A second rotation or co-op term at a mid-size logistics firm or retailer unlocks mid-band rates, especially with demonstrated Excel or data-analysis output.
$42,000 - $55,000 USD
Multi-term co-op students or graduate-level interns with procurement, data analytics, or demand-planning exposure command the top of the Chattanooga intern market.
Most interns plateau because their resume reads as a task list rather than a results record. Hiring managers at 3PLs and manufacturers pay more for candidates who can prove they moved a metric.
Higher-paying candidates typically show:
Home to Volkswagen, Amazon, and a growing automotive-supply cluster; on-site manufacturing intern roles dominate and pay near the regional mid-point.
One of the largest U.S. logistics hubs with FedEx, McKesson, and major distribution centers; higher volume of 3PL and healthcare-supply internships push rates slightly above Chattanooga.
Growing corporate HQ presence (Bridgestone Americas, Dollar General, Louisiana-Pacific) lifts intern pay above the state average, especially for procurement and planning roles.
Southeast's largest logistics market; Delta Air Lines, UPS, Home Depot, and Coca-Cola all run structured supply chain intern programs with competitive pay and clear conversion paths.
Smaller market anchored by Regions Financial, Mercedes-Benz manufacturing, and regional 3PLs; rates trail the corridor average but cost of living is significantly lower.
Many structured internship programs - especially at automotive manufacturers and large 3PLs - offer housing stipends or relocation assistance on top of base pay. These amounts are not reflected in the salary ranges on this page. Always ask recruiters whether a stipend is included before comparing offers dollar-for-dollar.
Roles requiring warehouse floor presence, production-line support, or off-hours shift coverage sometimes include a small hourly differential. These premiums are inconsistently reported in salary aggregators and are treated as base pay in some postings and as separate line items in others. Clarify this with each employer.
All figures on this page are in U.S. dollars and reflect the Chattanooga, TN market. Chattanooga's cost of living sits below the U.S. national average, so a $38,000 annualized intern salary carries more purchasing power locally than the same figure in Atlanta or Nashville.
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Answers to the most common questions about Supply Chain Intern compensation in Chattanooga, TN.
Supply chain interns in Chattanooga typically earn between $31,000 and $50,000 annualized (approximately $15 to $24 per hour), with the average near $38,000 USD. Rates depend on employer type, academic level, and whether the role involves on-site or shift work. These figures are approximate and based on aggregated public data from 2025 to 2026.
Based on PayScale and ZipRecruiter data from 2025 to 2026, the average hourly pay for supply chain interns nationally is approximately $19 to $21 per hour, with Tennessee rates running slightly below that average. Chattanooga-specific hourly rates are commonly reported between $15 and $24. Always confirm whether posted rates include or exclude shift differentials and stipends.
Large manufacturers with formal rotation programs - such as automotive suppliers in the Chattanooga corridor - and major 3PLs with structured co-op pipelines tend to pay at or above the local market midpoint. Smaller regional trucking companies and ad-hoc placements typically pay at the low end of the range. On-site and shift requirements at manufacturers can add a small pay premium over desk-only roles.
Atlanta and Memphis internships generally pay 10 to 20% more than comparable Chattanooga roles, driven by larger employer pools and more Fortune 500 headquarters. However, Chattanooga's lower cost of living partially offsets the gap in real purchasing power. Interns targeting the highest absolute pay should prioritize Atlanta or Nashville programs, especially in procurement or demand planning.
Prior ERP or WMS platform experience (SAP, Oracle, Manhattan Associates), demonstrated data analysis ability in Excel or Python, and a 3.0 or higher GPA are the most commonly cited factors that push offers above the local midpoint. Academic major also matters - industrial engineering and supply chain management majors consistently outpace general business interns in the same roles.
Most supply chain internships in the Chattanooga market are on-site, particularly those tied to manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and 3PL operations. Hybrid or remote options are more common at corporate HQ roles with Nashville or Atlanta anchors, or at nationally headquartered firms that allow remote work in lower-cost markets. Confirm the work arrangement before accepting an offer.
Active employers in and around Chattanooga include Volkswagen Group of America, Amazon, Yanfeng Automotive, Shaw Industries, R.E. Garrison Trucking, and Miller Industries. Regional proximity to Memphis and Nashville also puts FedEx, McKesson, and C.H. Robinson within reach for interns willing to commute or relocate for a summer term.
Explore salary benchmarks for adjacent supply chain, warehouse, and logistics roles to understand career progression and regional pay variations.
| Job title | Entry Level | Mid-Career | Senior | Lead / Specialist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forklift Operator | $30K - $38K USD | $38K - $50K USD | $50K - $62K USD | $62K - $72K USD |
| Warehouse Worker | $28K - $34K USD | $34K - $44K USD | $44K - $55K USD | $55K - $65K USD |
| Class 1 / CDL Truck Driver | $47K - $58K CAD | $58K - $78K CAD | $78K - $95K CAD | $95K - $110K+ CAD |
| Truck Driver | $42,000 - $58,000 USD | $58,000 - $80,000 USD | $80,000 - $100,000 USD | $100,000 - $120,000 USD |
| Delivery Driver / Courier | $33K - $40K CAD | $40K - $52K CAD | $52K - $65K CAD | $55K - $72K CAD |
| Project Coordinator (Admin) | $42K - $52K CAD | $52K - $66K CAD | $66K - $78K CAD | $78K - $88K CAD |
| Cybersecurity Intern | $29K - $38K USD | $38K - $48K USD | $48K - $58K USD | $44K - $58K USD |
Advance your supply chain career with guides on negotiating salary, building a competitive resume, and understanding the hiring landscape.
Learn proven salary negotiation tactics to maximize your compensation package when accepting a supply chain internship offer.
Read article →Get practical guidance on crafting an internship-ready resume when you have limited professional experience in supply chain or logistics.
Read article →Discover strategies to stand out as a supply chain intern candidate and transition your internship into a full-time entry-level role.
Read article →Salary ranges were compiled by cross-referencing public job postings and crowd-sourced compensation data from ZipRecruiter, PayScale, and Salary.com for the period 2025 to 2026, filtered to the Chattanooga, TN market and Southeast region. National averages were used as anchors where city-specific intern data was limited, with a discount factor applied to reflect Chattanooga's below-average pay index.
Quotes reflect themes from public forums and review platforms gathered through early 2026; individual experiences vary by employer and program type.
“My manufacturing internship paid around $18/hr but the 3PL down the road was only offering $15 for the same type of work”
Reflects the consistent pattern of manufacturing internships outpaying 3PL and logistics-brokerage roles at the entry level, even within the same metro area.
“On-site requirement was non-negotiable but the shift premium made up for it”
On-site and shift-differential language appears repeatedly in Southeast manufacturing intern reviews, suggesting floor-based roles do carry a modest pay edge over desk work.
“Annualized my offer and it sounded better than it was - always check the actual weeks”
A useful reminder that internship pay quoted as annualized salary can be misleading; interns should calculate actual take-home based on program duration.
“Companies with formal rotation programs converted way more interns to full-time than ad-hoc ones and paid better too”
Structured programs at larger employers in Memphis, Nashville, and Atlanta consistently show both higher pay and stronger conversion-to-full-time rates than informal summer placements.
“Good experience but the pay was below what my classmates got in Atlanta for similar work”
Confirms that the Chattanooga market trails Atlanta by a meaningful margin for intern compensation, reinforcing the city comparison data on this page.
Volkswagen Group of America · Amazon · Yanfeng Automotive · Shaw Industries · Miller Industries · R.E. Garrison Trucking · FedEx (Memphis) · McKesson (Memphis) · C.H. Robinson · Kroger Manufacturing · Louisiana-Pacific Corporation · Echo Global Logistics
ZipRecruiter - Supply Chain Intern Salary (March 2026). National average and hourly rate data for supply chain intern roles in the U.S. ZipRecruiter Supply Chain Intern Salary
PayScale - Supply Chain Intern Hourly Pay (2026). Hourly compensation data by experience level based on survey responses. PayScale Supply Chain Intern Pay
Salary.com - Supply Chain Intern Salary (March 2026). U.S. national salary range and percentile breakdown for supply chain intern roles. Salary.com Supply Chain Intern
ZipRecruiter - Supply Chain Intern Jobs in Chattanooga, TN. Active postings and local wage estimates for the Chattanooga metro area. ZipRecruiter Chattanooga Intern Jobs
Indeed - Supply Chain Intern Jobs in Tennessee (2026). Job postings from Yanfeng Automotive, Kroger Manufacturing, Macy's, and other regional employers. Indeed Tennessee Supply Chain Intern Jobs