How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in Tennessee?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $99,330 for Mechanical Engineers in Tennessee as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $77,340 and the 75th-percentile is $126,400.

How are Tennessee Mechanical Engineer salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

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

The 90th percentile lands at $142,230. 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 $126,400.

How many Mechanical Engineers does Tennessee employ?

BLS OES counts 3,680 Mechanical Engineers employed in Tennessee in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Tennessee different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Tennessee's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 77.9, services 76.4, and goods 94.3.

Where does Tennessee rank for Mechanical Engineer pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Tennessee ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Defense / aerospace vs auto vs HVAC mechanical engineer pay in Tennessee?

BLS does not segment by industry. In {state}, defense and aerospace primes typically lead on base pay with strong total comp once retention/clearance bonuses layer in (often P75-P90 of the BLS band). Automotive and consumer products sit mid-band. HVAC / building-systems mechanical engineering pays below the BLS median for the first 5 years, then catches up via PE-track roles and design-build firm equity.

Tennessee Mechanical Engineer Salary: BLS $99K Median, Real $108K (2026)

TL;DR

Tennessee pays Mechanical Engineers a BLS median of $99,330 — the more useful number is $107,857, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
P25-P75 spread runs $77,340 to $126,400; P10 floor $47,000, P90 ceiling $142,230.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $8,527.
Mechanical Engineer ranking: #30 on the BLS table, #18 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Tennessee

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,000	$51,035
P25 (lower quartile)	$77,340	$83,979
P50 (median)	$99,330	$107,857
P75 (upper quartile)	$126,400	$137,251
P90 (top tier)	$142,230	$154,440
Mean	$101,260	$109,953
Employment	3,680 Mechanical Engineers 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 (Mechanical Engineer)	$99,330	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,100	13.2% 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%)	−$7,599	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$78,632	79.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$85,382	÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Tennessee state-tax burden means for Mechanical Engineer take-home

Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $4,967 a year for a Mechanical Engineer at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $85,382 — 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 $102,320 for Mechanical Engineers with mean pay of $110,080 and total employment of 286,760. Tennessee sits at #30 on nominal pay and #18 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Tennessee climbs 12 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Mechanical Engineer make in Tennessee?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $99,330 for Mechanical Engineers in Tennessee as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $77,340 and the 75th-percentile is $126,400.
How are Tennessee Mechanical Engineer salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
What does the top of the Mechanical Engineer pay scale look like in Tennessee?: The 90th percentile lands at $142,230. 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 $126,400.
How many Mechanical Engineers does Tennessee employ?: BLS OES counts 3,680 Mechanical Engineers employed in Tennessee in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Tennessee different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Tennessee's overall index of 92.1 reflects rents 77.9, services 76.4, and goods 94.3.
Where does Tennessee rank for Mechanical Engineer pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Tennessee ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Defense / aerospace vs auto vs HVAC mechanical engineer pay in Tennessee?: BLS does not segment by industry. In {state}, defense and aerospace primes typically lead on base pay with strong total comp once retention/clearance bonuses layer in (often P75-P90 of the BLS band). Automotive and consumer products sit mid-band. HVAC / building-systems mechanical engineering pays below the BLS median for the first 5 years, then catches up via PE-track roles and design-build firm equity.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 17-2141, 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 Mechanical Engineer 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.