Tennessee residents earn among the lowest hourly wages in the country but work more than the average hours in the U.S.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its total private average hourly earnings by state, along with the average weekly earnings and the average number of hours Americans work per week for May 2025.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee had the ninth-lowest average for hourly earnings in the United States.
Here's what the average hourly wage for Tennessee was and how it compares to the rest of the country.
What is the average hourly pay in Tennessee?
In May 2025, Tennessee residents were earning an average hourly wage of $30.81, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure is not seasonally adjusted.
Nationally, Tennessee had one of the lowest average hourly wages, while working an average of 34.4 hours a week, which is higher than the median for the country at 33.9 hours.
With the average hourly wage and hours worked, Tennesseans on average bring home $1,059.86 a week, which translates to $55,112.72 annually.
Tennessee's average hourly pay is the ninth lowest in the country. States with lower average hourly wages include: Oklahoma, Iowa, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi.
How does Tennessee compare to other southern states?
Tennessee is among the lowest-paying states in the South and the country as a whole.
Virginia: $35.98, up from $35.94 in April 2025.
Florida: $34.09, up from $33.85 in April 2025.
Georgia: $33.93, down from $33.95 in April 2025.
North Carolina: $33.60, down from $33.68 in April 2025.
South Carolina: $31.48, up from $31.08in April 2025.
Alabama: $31.15, up from $31.08 in April 2025.
Tennessee: $30.81, up from $30.68 in April 2025.
Kentucky: $30.01, down from $30.07 in April 2025
Arkansas: $29.79, up from $29.69 in April 2025.
Louisiana: $29.53, up from $29.38 in April 2025.
Mississippi: $27.95, up from $27.88 in April 2025.
States with the highest hourly earners
Out of all 50 states, here are the places with the highest average hourly pay:
Massachusetts: $42.21, with 33.3 hours per week.
Washington: $41.99, with 34.6 hours per week.
California: $40.69, with 33.2 hours per week.
Minnesota: $39.26, with 32.8 hours per week.
Colorado: $39.02, with 33.0 hours per week.
New York: $38.91, with 32.7 hours per week.
Connecticut: $38.88, with 33.4 hours per week.
Alaska: $37.85, with 34.6 hours per week.
New Jersey: $37.82, with 33.2 hours per week.
Hawaii: $37.34, with 32.7 hours per week.
What is the minimum wage in Tennessee?
Technically, Tennessee has no state minimum wage and defaults to the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
There are 34 states, territories, and districts with minimum wages that exceed the federal standard. The other 20 states or territories have a minimum wage of $7.25.
In 2024, Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, proposed a bill to raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour in Tennessee, but the bill failed.
Two years prior, Sen. Sara Kyle, D-Memphis, proposed a bill to raise the minimum wage to $12 in 2023, $13 in 2024, $14 in 2025, and $15 in 2026. This bill also failed.
What is the living wage in Tennessee?
A living wage is the hourly rate that an individual must earn to support themselves and their family while working full-time at 2,080 hours a year.
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living wage calculator, a single adult with no children living in Tennessee should earn $20.77 to achieve a living wage. The poverty wage for the same person is $7.24, meaning minimum wage pays one cent above the poverty level.
In a household with two working parents and no children, each person would need to make $14.07 to have a living wage. The poverty rate wage for these people would be $4.91.
A traditional family of four would need to have both parents making $23.53 an hour. The poverty wage for this family is $7.50 an hour.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What is the average hourly pay in Tennessee? Where the state ranks
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