Median pay · Tennessee
$47,380A year, or $23 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $28,600 | $14 |
| 25th percentile | $35,830 | $17 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $47,380 | $23 |
| 75th percentile | $71,050 | $34 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $103,130 | $50 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $60,800 | $29 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in TennesseeBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$47,380
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$22.78
- Take-home after federal and FICA tax$3,354 a month at an effective rate of 15.1%.$40,250 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in Tennessee sit at 91.9 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$51,573
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.7.1% below
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.3,278,760
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in Tennessee: common questions
What is the average salary in Tennessee?
$60,800 a year, or $29.23 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in Tennessee for May 2025.
The median is lower, $47,380: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in Tennessee?
Anything over $47,380 pays more than half the jobs in Tennessee. $71,050 puts you in the top quarter and $103,130 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $3,354 a month after federal and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in Tennessee?
By median pay: cardiologists ($610,080), dermatologists ($433,630), obstetricians and gynecologists ($354,580), anesthesiologists ($330,620) and orthopedic surgeons ($325,520). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in Tennessee?
By number of jobs: laborers or material movers ($38,160), fast food or counter workers ($27,470), retail salespersons ($31,950), registered nurses ($81,500) and truck drivers ($58,620), with the median pay for each.