Lawyers salary in Memphis, TN

Median pay for lawyers in Memphis, TN: $121,550/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $64,950 – $239,200 · about 1,850 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($119,840) by +$1,710 (+1%).

What it's really worth in Memphis

With Memphis's cost of living at 92 (US=100), that $121,550 has the buying power of about $132,196 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $62,178 · median home $247,229 · median rent $1,441/mo.

Full Memphis cost of living & taxes →

How Memphis ranks for this job

On raw pay, Memphis, TN is 85th of the 183 metros we hold lawyers wages for. Once Memphis's cost of living is applied, it ranks 66th.

Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Memphis is one of the places where lawyers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.

What that salary buys in Memphis

A median home in Memphis, TN costs $247,229 — about 2× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,441/mo works out at 14% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where lawyers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Memphis.

Metro	Median pay	vs Memphis	Rent vs Memphis
San Jose, CA	$239,200	+97%	2.5×
San Francisco, CA	$217,340	+79%	2.3×
Los Angeles, CA	$194,020	+60%	2×
New York, NY	$185,790	+53%	2.4×

Same job elsewhere in TN

Metro	Median pay	vs Memphis	Rent vs Memphis
Nashville, TN	$134,380	+11%	1.2×
Chattanooga, TN	$130,420	+7%	1.1×
Knoxville, TN	$113,510	−7%	1.2×
Kingsport, TN	$110,930	−9%	0.9×

Staying in TN keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

Other jobs in Memphis