Firefighters pay in Tennessee
$51,590avg. a year
$24.80 an hour · 7,020 employed
Firefighters in Tennessee earn an average of $51,590 a year. That is $12,040 (19%) less than the U.S. average of $63,630. The best-paying metro area is Memphis, TN-MS-AR at $57,560.
$49,300Median pay
$24.80Average hourly
+13%Avg. pay since 2020
#33Of 49 states + D.C.
Top-paying Tennessee metro areas
Average pay for firefighters by metro area. Swipe to see all 9.
11,660 jobs
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
$57,560
$27.67 an hour
2300 jobs
Clarksville, TN-KY
$53,290
$25.62 an hour
32,170 jobs
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$53,290
$25.62 an hour
4970 jobs
Knoxville, TN
$49,910
$23.99 an hour
5560 jobs
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$48,660
$23.40 an hour
6270 jobs
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$43,600
$20.96 an hour
7100 jobs
Johnson City, TN
$40,300
$19.37 an hour
8120 jobs
Morristown, TN
$39,570
$19.03 an hour
9230 jobs
Jackson, TN
$36,830
$17.71 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Firefighters pay in Tennessee, charted
Pay over time
Tennessee, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Tennessee firefighters work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Related jobs in Tennessee
Average pay, Tennessee, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do firefighters make in Tennessee?
The average is $51,590 a year, and the median is $49,300. That is $12,040 (19%) less than the U.S. average of $63,630.
What is the hourly wage in Tennessee?
$24.80 an hour on average; the median is $23.70.
Where in Tennessee do they earn the most?
Memphis, TN-MS-AR ($57,560), followed by Clarksville, TN-KY ($53,290). The lowest average among 9 metro areas with data is Jackson, TN ($36,830).
How does Tennessee rank?
Tennessee ranks #33 of 50 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-2011. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national firefighters page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.