Home / Wages / Memphis Memphis salaries The median worker in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area earned $45,610 a year in 2024, about $21.93 an hour. That ranks #236 of the 391 metro areas published here, 7.9% below the national median.
Tennessee Mississippi Arkansas
Median pay $45,610 $21.93 per hour
Vs national -7.9% U.S. $49,500
Workers 620,100 wage and salary
Metro rank #236 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Memphis pays 1.1% less than Tennessee as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Housing here moved -0.7% over the year to 2026 Q2 and +20.6% over five years. Pay and house prices rarely move together, and where they diverge for long the
affordability of an area changes even when nothing about the jobs does.
House prices in Memphis .
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents 6.94× 1,490 $44,120 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians 5.65× 3,100 $89,270 Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs 3.58× 2,250 $47,530 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 3.26× 39,160 $37,910 Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators 3.12× 1,400 $53,350 First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors 2.88× 7,020 $72,750 Production Workers, All Other 2.79× 3,110 $37,230 Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping 2.62× 980 $47,540 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 2.46× 7,970 $43,760 Gambling Dealers 2.42× 810 $23,970 Light Truck Drivers 2.23× 8,900 $49,420 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers 2.15× 1,840 $104,830
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Memphis Occupation Median Hourly Employed Pediatricians, General $208,050 $100.03 250 Nurse Anesthetists $192,670 $92.63 200 Chief Executives $178,340 $85.74 710 Dentists, General $175,810 $84.53 230 Computer and Information Systems Managers $152,110 $73.13 1,690 Purchasing Managers $144,480 $69.46 260 Financial Managers $134,480 $64.66 3,110 Pharmacists $134,230 $64.54 1,490 Marketing Managers $130,960 $62.96 1,220 Administrative Services Managers $130,310 $62.65 1,540 Human Resources Managers $129,650 $62.33 790 Training and Development Managers $129,510 $62.27 200 Computer Network Architects $124,370 $59.79 610 Physician Assistants $124,260 $59.74 330 Veterinarians $123,780 $59.51 310 Sales Managers $123,140 $59.20 2,140 Lawyers $121,510 $58.42 1,740 Nurse Practitioners $116,860 $56.18 2,190 Software Developers $116,470 $56.00 2,500 Electrical Engineers $106,800 $51.35 280 Medical and Health Services Managers $106,620 $51.26 2,310 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $106,440 n/a 1,370 Facilities Managers $105,050 $50.51 400 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $104,830 $50.40 1,840 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $103,680 n/a 1,290 Industrial Production Managers $102,610 $49.33 960 Data Scientists $101,760 $48.92 250 Physical Therapists $101,360 $48.73 750 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $101,110 $48.61 370 Mechanical Engineers $101,100 $48.60 350 Managers, All Other $101,070 $48.59 2,680 General and Operations Managers $100,760 $48.44 10,580 Industrial Engineers $99,990 $48.07 1,430 Civil Engineers $98,590 $47.40 740 Occupational Therapists $98,500 $47.36 500 Personal Financial Advisors $98,260 $47.24 870 Computer Systems Analysts $97,490 $46.87 1,490 Database Administrators $97,330 $46.79 210 Construction Managers $97,160 $46.71 830 Information Security Analysts $96,240 $46.27 380 Financial and Investment Analysts $90,920 $43.71 810 Speech-Language Pathologists $89,860 $43.20 470 Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians $89,270 $42.92 3,100 Budget Analysts $88,300 $42.45 250 Management Analysts $86,940 $41.80 1,780 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $84,880 $40.81 310 Project Management Specialists $84,350 $40.55 2,780 Engineers, All Other $83,420 $40.11 570 First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers $83,300 $40.05 500 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $82,940 $39.88 790 First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers $81,960 $39.41 850 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $81,490 $39.18 1,670 Social and Community Service Managers $81,330 $39.10 460 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $80,470 $38.69 470 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $79,980 $38.45 920 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists $79,450 $38.20 200 Registered Nurses $79,250 $38.10 13,570 Detectives and Criminal Investigators $77,960 $37.48 280 Web Developers $77,340 $37.18 200 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $77,340 $37.18 390
Where most people work Largest occupations in Memphis by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 39,160 $37,910 $18.22 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 15,990 $60,070 $28.88 Retail Salespersons 15,920 $30,200 $14.52 Stockers and Order Fillers 15,910 $36,750 $17.67 Fast Food and Counter Workers 14,810 $27,730 $13.33 Registered Nurses 13,570 $79,250 $38.10 Cashiers 12,140 $27,750 $13.34 General and Operations Managers 10,580 $100,760 $48.44 Office Clerks, General 10,450 $36,840 $17.71 Customer Service Representatives 9,880 $39,830 $19.15 Light Truck Drivers 8,900 $49,420 $23.76 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers 8,640 $66,000 $31.73 Waiters and Waitresses 8,560 $24,780 $11.91 Security Guards 8,410 $35,250 $16.95 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 7,970 $43,760 $21.04 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 7,480 $29,850 $14.35 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 7,070 $31,580 $15.18 First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors 7,020 $72,750 $34.97 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 6,860 $47,030 $22.61 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 6,490 $47,230 $22.71
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Tennessee metro areas Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin 1,096,500 workers $48,840 Knoxville 418,120 workers $45,460 Chattanooga 269,330 workers $45,440 Kingsport-Bristol 117,550 workers $43,800 Jackson 84,400 workers $43,170 Clarksville 100,910 workers $42,990 Memphis pay: common questions What is the average salary in Memphis? The median across all occupations is $45,610 , or $21.93 an hour, covering 620,100 wage and salary workers. The mean is $58,150, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Memphis pay more than the rest of Tennessee? No. The metro median of $45,610 is 1.1% below the Tennessee median of $46,120. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Memphis? Pediatricians, General ($208,050), Nurse Anesthetists ($192,670), Chief Executives ($178,340). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Memphis unusually full of? Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents, at 6.94× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.