Police Officer · Tennessee · SOC 33-3051
Police Officer Salary in Tennessee (2026)
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2024 reference period · BEA Regional Price Parity 2023 vintage · Last synced 2026-05-05.
TL;DR
- Police Officers in Tennessee earn a BLS median of $59,410, with real take-home of $64,510 after BEA RPP adjustment.
- State ranks #41 nationally on nominal wage, #40 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.
- Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $5,100 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
- BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $40,940 · P25 $48,130 · P75 $70,980 · P90 $81,340.
Wage breakdown — Tennessee
| Percentile | Nominal (BLS) | Real (BEA RPP-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| P10 (entry tier) | $40,940 | $44,455 |
| P25 (lower quartile) | $48,130 | $52,262 |
| P50 (median) | $59,410 | $64,510 |
| P75 (upper quartile) | $70,980 | $77,073 |
| P90 (top tier) | $81,340 | $88,323 |
| Mean | $60,280 | $65,455 |
| Employment | 13,780 Police Officers 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 (Police Officer) | $59,410 | nominal median |
| Federal income tax | −$4,991 | 8.4% 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| State income tax | $0 | no state income tax (Hall tax repealed 2021) |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%) | −$4,545 | SS capped at $183,600 wage base |
| Take-home (after-tax) | $49,874 | 83.9% of gross |
| Real take-home (RPP-adjusted) | $54,155 | ÷ (92.1 / 100) BEA cost-of-living |
What the Tennessee state-tax burden means for Police Officer take-home
Tennessee levies no state income tax on wages, which is worth roughly $2,971 a year for a Police Officer at the BLS median compared with the national-average state burden (≈5%). After the favorable cost of living, real take-home is $54,155 — 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 $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. Tennessee sits at #41 on nominal pay and #40 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Tennessee climbs 1 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the real (cost-adjusted) Police Officer salary in Tennessee?
- After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 92.1 for Tennessee), the real-wage equivalent is $64,510 — what the $59,410 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $52,262 to $77,073.
- How are Tennessee Police Officer 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.
- How many Police Officers does Tennessee employ?
- BLS OES counts 13,780 Police Officers 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.
- How wide is the wage spread in Tennessee?
- P10 to P90 spans $40,940 to $81,340. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
- What are the limits of these Police Officer 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.
- When does this data update?
- BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
- Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Tennessee?
- No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Tennessee police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Tennessee runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Sources & methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 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.
Cross-comparison: see how Tennessee Police Officer 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.