Is $50,000 a good salary in Tennessee?
$50,000 in Tennessee is a below-median household income - the 34th percentile of Tennessee households in the Census ACS 2024 distribution (31st nationally). A single filer keeps about $42,214 after federal, Tennessee state, and FICA taxes - roughly $3,518/mo at a 16% effective rate. Statewide median rent takes 30% of gross, inside the affordable band.
Estimate only - not financial advice. Methodology and sources.
Census ACS 2024 1-year data (tables B19080, B19013), verified . Reviewed by kgenots, Editor. Methodology
Tennessee household income distribution (ACS 2024)
Tennessee's own published cut-points - where $50,000 sits is highlighted. These are the actual Census quintile thresholds for Tennessee, not the national distribution rescaled.
| Percentile | Band | Household income |
|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | Bottom 20% | $31,207✓ passed |
| 40th percentile | Lower-middle | $57,169 |
| 50th percentile (median) | Median household | $71,997 |
| 60th percentile | Upper-middle | $89,473 |
| 80th percentile | Top 20% starts | $140,387 |
| 95th percentile (top 5%) | Top 5% starts | $250,001 |
$50,000 clears the 20th percentile threshold in Tennessee - placing it at the 34th percentile of state households.
Take-home pay on $50,000 in Tennessee
| Gross income | $50,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$3,962 |
| Tennessee state income tax (none) | −$0 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$3,100 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$725 |
| Take-home (net) | $42,214 |
That's about $3,518/month net, an effective tax rate of 15.6%. Tennessee's average combined sales tax is 9.55%, charged on taxable spending out of that net - a consumption cost on top of the income tax above.
Single filer, 2025 federal brackets + standard deduction. State tax uses Tennessee's top/flat marginal rate, so in progressive-bracket states (e.g. California, New York) the state line is an upper bound and your actual net is likely a little higher. Married-filing-jointly and pre-tax 401(k)/health deductions also change the result. Estimate only - Tennessee take-home detail →
Occupations near $50,000 (single earner)
BLS national median wages within ±15% of $50,000 - gives texture for which careers and seniorities land at this income level.
| Occupation | Stage | National wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail salesperson | senior | $50,000 |
| Accountant | entry-level | $53,000 |
| Police officer | entry-level | $47,000 |
| Construction laborer | mid-career | $46,500 |
| High school teacher | entry-level | $46,000 |
| Elementary teacher | entry-level | $46,000 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. National medians; metro/state variance can be ±30%. Career stage estimates: entry ≈ 25th pct, senior ≈ 75th pct of the same SOC code.
Lifestyle context - rent burden in Tennessee
At $50,000 gross, statewide median rent eats 30% of income - inside the affordable band. Metro areas (LA, SF, NYC, Boston, Seattle) typically run 30-50% above the statewide median.
Home affordability at $50,000
Using the 28% rule on a 30-year mortgage, $50,000 gross supports a home purchase up to about $134,906. Tennessee median home value is $264,800 - you can afford 51% of the median home, so buying requires lower-priced markets, a larger down payment, or co-buying.
How $50,000 ranks in neighboring states
State-adjusted percentile shows the same income placed in Tennessee's contiguous neighbors. Relevant for relocation, remote-work geography, or border-town decisions.
| State | Median HH | % vs median | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee (current) | $71,997 | -31% | 34th |
| Mississippi | $59,127 | -15% | 43rd |
| Arkansas | $62,106 | -19% | 41st |
| Kentucky | $64,526 | -23% | 39th |
| Alabama | $66,659 | -25% | 38th |
| Missouri | $71,589 | -30% | 35th |
| North Carolina | $73,958 | -32% | 34th |
| Georgia | $79,991 | -37% | 32nd |
| Virginia | $92,090 | -46% | 26th |
$50,000 ranks similarly in
Other incomes in Tennessee
Common questions
- Is $50,000 a good household income in Tennessee?
- It sits at roughly the 34th percentile of Tennessee households in the state's own Census ACS 2024 income distribution (Tennessee median $71,997). Nationally that's about the 31st percentile. Whether "good" depends on household size, debt, and metro cost of living - state figures smooth over big within-state variation.
- How does $50,000 compare to the Tennessee median?
- It's 31% below the Tennessee median household income of $71,997 (Census ACS 2024, table B19013). Half of Tennessee households earn less than $71,997, half earn more.
- How exact is the 34th percentile figure for $50,000?
- It is interpolated, not read off a published table. The Census publishes Tennessee household income only at quintile cut-points, and $50,000 falls between the 20th-percentile cut-point ($31,207) and the 40th-percentile cut-point ($57,169). We interpolate linearly between those two published points, so the figure is accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal.
- What is the highest income Tennessee's data can rank?
- Tennessee's published 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 level at which the Census top-codes this measure. That means percentile positions in Tennessee stay meaningful across the full range shown here, unlike in higher-income states where the top bracket is censored.
Full data sources and formulas: /sources.
Source and methodology
Data source. Tennessee household income distribution comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates: table B19080 (quintile upper limits) and table B19013 (median household income), retrieved via the Census Reporter API on 2026-07-11.
How the percentile is derived. The Census publishes Tennessee only at the cut-points shown in the table above. We interpolate linearly between the two published points that bracket $50,000 ($31,207 and $57,169). We do not rescale one national curve by a state median, which is what most percentile calculators do.
Limitations. Interpolated positions are accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal. Tennessee's 95th-percentile cut-point is $250,001, below the $250,001 top-code ceiling, so ranks stay meaningful across the range shown. State-level figures also smooth over large metro-to-rural variation within Tennessee.
US household income percentile calculator → Income percentile by state (all 50) → Full methodology →
Estimate only - not financial advice. Percentiles are interpolated from US Census Bureau ACS household income distribution tables and describe where an income falls nationally - they are not a judgment of what you should earn or financial advice. Cost of living varies widely by state and metro.
Reviewed by kgenots, Editor · editorial policy