SOC 25-1121 · Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Salary in Memphis, TN

The average salary for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary in Memphis, Tennessee is $85,560 a year, according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $73,990: half of the 180 people in this job in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 14% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($99,283).

$85,560average per year

Median $73,990Take-home ≈ $69,021

  • $57K10th
  • $63K25th
  • $74KMedian
  • $82K75th
  • $109K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

180people in this job
-14%vs U.S. metro average
#2 of 4Tennessee metros
92cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary pay range in Memphis

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $56,510 a year or less, while the top 10% make $109,210 or more. The middle half of art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary in Memphis earn between $63,370 and $81,900.

  • $57K10th
  • $63K25th
  • $74KMedian
  • $82K75th
  • $109K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$85,560$7,130—
Median$73,990$6,166—
Entry level (25th percentile)$63,370$5,281—
Experienced (75th percentile)$81,900$6,825—

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year (BLS publishes this job's pay as annual only).

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary after taxes in Memphis

On the average salary of $85,560, a single filer in Memphis takes home about $69,021 a year, or $5,752 a month and $2,655 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% of gross pay.

The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in TN$69,021$5,752
Working in AR$66,343$5,529
Working in MS$66,331$5,528

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.

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Is Memphis a good place for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Memphis area are 8% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 92.2), so the average $85,560 buys what about $92,819 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Memphis ($46,890). A typical home costs $247,229, or 2.9 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $85,560 is worth in another city

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary in other Tennessee cities

Memphis ranks 2nd of 4 Tennessee metro areas for this job; Knoxville pays the most ($88,640).

All Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salaries in Tennessee

Highest-paying cities for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary

Riverside, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($152,090).

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary by city

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Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary salary in Memphis: questions

What is the entry-level art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary in Memphis?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $56,510 a year and the 25th percentile is $63,370, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary take-home pay in Memphis?

About $69,021 a year ($5,752 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $85,560. Tennessee has no state income tax.

Do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary earn more in Memphis than elsewhere?

The average here is 14% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($99,283).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 25-1121; area Memphis, TN-MS-AR (32820). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 7.9%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.49, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.49).

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