Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Tennessee | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $49,300 | $62,011 | -20% |
| Median hourly wage | $23.70 | $29.81 | -20% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $53,645.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Firefighter in Tennessee is $49,300, or about $23.70 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Firefighters is $62,011. Tennessee is -20% below the national median.
Entry-level firefighters in Tennessee typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 7,020 firefighter jobs on record and a median salary of $49,300, Tennessee offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 422 of the 730 occupations reported in Tennessee — higher than 42% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other at $81,330, First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at $77,920, Detectives and Criminal Investigators at $77,090 — all figures are median annual wages for Tennessee.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 92.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, firefighters rank 422 of the 730 occupations reported in Tennessee — higher than 42% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Tennessee | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other | $81,330 | $240 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $77,920 | $2,210 |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $77,090 | $1,860 |
| Fish and Game Wardens | $75,930 | $220 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | $74,770 | $4,430 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $74,140 | $740 |
Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 92.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 730 occupations in Tennessee.