How much does a Firefighter make in Tennessee?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $47,300 for Firefighters in Tennessee as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,850 and the 75th-percentile is $60,920.

What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Tennessee?

The 90th percentile lands at $71,300. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,920.

How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?

P10 to P90 spans $32,480 to $71,300. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Is Tennessee a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $47,300 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $51,361. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Firefighters comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Firefighter salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Tennessee?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Tennessee.

Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Tennessee?

BLS captures career (full-time) firefighters under 33-2011; volunteer departments and paid-on-call firefighters are not represented in the OEWS wage figures. Roughly two-thirds of US fire departments are still volunteer or combination, concentrated in rural and suburban Tennessee jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Tennessee median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

Firefighter Pay in Tennessee: $47K Median + Purchasing Power (2026)

TL;DR

Median Firefighter salary in Tennessee: $47,300 nominal, $51,361 real (BEA RPP basis).
Low BEA RPP (92.1) means the paycheck stretches further than the BLS number suggests; net lift roughly $4,061.
Bottom quartile $37,850, top quartile $60,920. The P90 ($71,300) is roughly 2.2× the P10 ($32,480).
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #35 of 51; nominal rank is #37.

Wage breakdown — Tennessee

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$32,480	$35,268
P25 (lower quartile)	$37,850	$41,099
P50 (median)	$47,300	$51,361
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,920	$66,150
P90 (top tier)	$71,300	$77,421
Mean	$49,810	$54,086
Employment	6,510 Firefighters in Tennessee

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Tennessee index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	92.1
Goods	94.3
Services	76.4
Rents	77.9

Tennessee sits below the national baseline (RPP 92.1), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 77.9.

After-tax take-home — Tennessee (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Firefighter)	$47,300	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$3,538	7.5% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	$0	no state income tax (Hall tax repealed 2021)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$3,618	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$40,144	84.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$43,590	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Tennessee state-tax burden means for Firefighter take-home

Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,365 a year for a Firefighter at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $43,590 — higher than the nominal after-tax figure because RPP is below 100.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $59,530 for Firefighters with mean pay of $63,890 and total employment of 332,240. Tennessee sits at #37 on nominal pay and #35 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Tennessee climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Firefighter make in Tennessee?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $47,300 for Firefighters in Tennessee as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $37,850 and the 75th-percentile is $60,920.
What does the top of the Firefighter pay scale look like in Tennessee?: The 90th percentile lands at $71,300. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $60,920.
How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?: P10 to P90 spans $32,480 to $71,300. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Is Tennessee a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Firefighters?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 92.1 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $47,300 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $51,361. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Firefighters comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Firefighter salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Tennessee?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Tennessee.
Volunteer / paid-on-call vs career firefighter pay in Tennessee?: BLS captures career (full-time) firefighters under 33-2011; volunteer departments and paid-on-call firefighters are not represented in the OEWS wage figures. Roughly two-thirds of US fire departments are still volunteer or combination, concentrated in rural and suburban Tennessee jurisdictions — those firefighters earn small per-call stipends, attendance pay, or LOSAP retirement credits rather than a wage. The BLS Tennessee median therefore reflects only career departments and dramatically overstates 'firefighter pay' if interpreted as the population average.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Tennessee Firefighter pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.