Lawyers pay in Tennessee
$163,870avg. a year
$78.79 an hour · 9,010 employed
Lawyers in Tennessee earn an average of $163,870 a year. That is $21,970 (12%) less than the U.S. average of $185,840. The best-paying metro area is Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN at $172,980.
$136,180Median pay
$78.79Average hourly
+35%Avg. pay since 2020
#23Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Tennessee metro areas
Average pay for lawyers by metro area. Swipe to see all 10.
13,990 jobs
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$172,980
$83.16 an hour
2740 jobs
Chattanooga, TN-GA
$170,640
$82.04 an hour
3190 jobs
Jackson, TN
$164,680
$79.17 an hour
41,670 jobs
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
$159,520
$76.69 an hour
51,250 jobs
Knoxville, TN
$148,910
$71.59 an hour
660 jobs
Cleveland, TN
$147,080
$70.71 an hour
7300 jobs
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
$139,480
$67.06 an hour
8130 jobs
Johnson City, TN
$135,460
$65.12 an hour
9160 jobs
Clarksville, TN-KY
$132,690
$63.79 an hour
1070 jobs
Morristown, TN
$131,540
$63.24 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.
Lawyers pay in Tennessee, charted
Pay over time
Tennessee, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Tennessee lawyers work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · Tennessee highlighted · tap a state
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Under $132k$132k–$160k$160k–$180k$180k+Tennessee
Tennessee vs. neighbors
Average pay, May 2025
| Area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $185,840 | $89.35 |
| Tennessee | $163,870 | $78.79 |
| Georgia | $191,190 | $91.92 |
| Virginia | $179,240 | $86.17 |
| Missouri | $162,820 | $78.28 |
| North Carolina | $160,340 | $77.09 |
| Alabama | $146,630 | $70.50 |
Related jobs in Tennessee
- Paralegals and Legal Assistants$60,790
- Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates$173,150
- Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers$106,490
- Judicial Law Clerks$77,120
- Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators$70,000
- Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$53,760
Average pay, Tennessee, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do lawyers make in Tennessee?
The average is $163,870 a year, and the median is $136,180. That is $21,970 (12%) less than the U.S. average of $185,840.
What is the hourly wage in Tennessee?
$78.79 an hour on average; the median is $65.47.
Where in Tennessee do they earn the most?
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ($172,980), followed by Chattanooga, TN-GA ($170,640). The lowest average among 10 metro areas with data is Morristown, TN ($131,540).
How does Tennessee rank?
Tennessee ranks #23 of 51 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 23-1011. 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 lawyers 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.