Tennessee · Hourly pay
Tennessee Accountant Hourly Pay
What accountants and CPAs earn per hour in Tennessee — the verified BLS median and mean wage, the annual equivalent, and how the state compares to the national rate.
Median hourly
$36.94/hr
verified · BLS
Mean hourly
$39.55/hr
verified · BLS
Annual equivalent
$76,835
2,080 hrs/yr
vs national
-8.2%
#38 of 51 states
Verified BLS hourly wage for Tennessee · BLS OEWS May 2025 · updated June 2026
How much do accountants make an hour in Tennessee?
Direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurement for accountants and auditors in Tennessee. BLS does not publish a CPA-specific hourly wage.
Tennessee hourly range
Median and mean hourly are direct BLS measurements for Tennessee. The rest of the range is computed from the verified annual distribution.
Hourly pay across the range
Per hour| 10th percentile | $24.00/hr | Computed |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $30.01/hr | Computed |
| Median (50th) | $36.94/hr | BLS measured |
| 75th percentile | $45.57/hr | Computed |
| 90th percentile | $58.73/hr | Computed |
Median and mean hourly are direct BLS OEWS measurements. The other percentiles are computed from the verified annual distribution ÷ 2,080 full-time hours — a consistent conversion, not a separate BLS hourly reading.
At 2,080 full-time hours a year, Tennessee’s median hourly rate of $36.94/hr works out to about $76,835/year — which lines up with the BLS annual median of $76,840 for accountants and auditors in Tennessee.
To convert either way: multiply an hourly rate by 2,080 full-time hours for the annual salary, or divide an annual salary by the same to get the hourly rate.
Comparison
Tennessee vs. national — per hour
Tennessee ranks #38 of 51 states + DC by median hourly wage, running -8.2% vs the U.S. Both figures are direct BLS measurements.
Tennessee — median hourly
verified state measurement
$36.94/hr
-8.2%Tennessee — mean hourly
verified state measurement
$39.55/hr
-1.7%National — median hourly
verified benchmark
$40.23/hr
base
Tennessee runs -8.2% vs the national median hourly wage. Both are direct BLS OEWS measurements for accountants and auditors — not CPA-specific figures.
Tennessee’s median hourly wage is below the national rate of $40.23/hr. Compare it against local cost of living before treating a higher or lower hourly figure as “better” — the same rate stretches further in a lower-cost market.
Context
What an hourly rate means in Tennessee
The hourly figure is a lens on a mostly-salaried job — most useful the moment your work isn't a standard salaried year.
Most CPAs are salaried
The great majority of accounting and CPA roles in Tennessee are salaried, full-time positions — so the “hourly rate” is really the annual salary expressed per hour. BLS reports it this way for every occupation, and it becomes directly useful when you are pricing contract or part-time work, comparing a 1099 rate against a salaried offer, or checking whether overtime is worth it in a non-exempt seasonal role. To turn an hourly figure back into a salary, multiply by 2,080 full-time hours.
Compare
How Tennessee compares per hour
Tennessee ranks #38 of 51 by BLS-measured median hourly wage. Open another state to compare.
Frequently asked questions
- How much do accountants make an hour in Tennessee?
- The median wage for accountants and auditors in Tennessee is $36.94/hr and the mean is $39.55/hr, per BLS OEWS May 2025. Both are direct BLS measurements. At 2,080 full-time hours that median is about $76,835 a year — -8.2% vs the national median hourly wage of $40.23/hr.
- Is there a CPA-specific hourly rate for Tennessee?
- No. BLS measures "Accountants and Auditors" as one occupation in Tennessee, not CPAs specifically, so a CPA-only hourly figure would be an estimate — not a BLS reading. Licensed CPAs typically earn above the broad-occupation median shown here.
- Are CPAs in Tennessee paid hourly or salaried?
- Most accounting and CPA roles in Tennessee are salaried, full-time positions, so the hourly rate is the annual salary expressed per hour. It matters most for contract or part-time work, comparing a 1099 rate to a salaried offer, or valuing overtime in seasonal non-exempt roles.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Model your Tennessee CPA pay
Set your role, experience, and license in the calculator for a tailored Tennessee pay range — annual and hourly — against the verified benchmark.