Average Salary in Tennessee
Wages, household income and cost-of-living context for Tennessee. All figures from federal releases, vintage 2024.
- Mean annual wage$58,700Rank #38 of 51
- Median annual wage$46,120Rank #41 of 51
- Median household income$71,997ACS 2024 1-year
- Regional price parity91.9US = 100
- Adjusted mean wage$63,874Rank #36 at national prices
- Total employment3,274,390Wage & salary workers
What the numbers say
The mean of $58,700 is $12,580 (27.3 %) above the median of $46,120, reflecting a right-skewed wage distribution pulled up by high earners.
Prices in Tennessee are about 8.1 % below the national average (RPP 91.9, where US = 100). After the adjustment, every dollar earned in Tennessee buys what $63,874 would buy at national average prices.
Median household income in Tennessee is $71,997 (Census ACS 2024). That figure counts all income to all people in a household — two-earner couples, Social Security, self-employment earnings — and is not directly comparable to the per-worker wage figures above.
Pay for common occupations in Tennessee
Annual mean wage, cross-industry. Blank rows indicate BLS suppression for this state/occupation cell.
| Occupation | SOC | Mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | 23-1011 | $155,290 |
| Marketing Manager | 11-2021 | $143,250 |
| Pharmacist | 29-1051 | $125,850 |
| Software Developer | 15-1252 | $117,940 |
| Data Scientist | 15-2051 | $114,830 |
| Financial and Investment Analyst | 13-2051 | $105,520 |
| Civil Engineer | 17-2051 | $102,150 |
| Mechanical Engineer | 17-2141 | $101,260 |
Browse all 20 occupation pages →