Psychologist Salary in Tennessee (2026)
The average Psychologist in Tennessee earns around $96,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $76,366/year ($6,364/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $76,366 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $6,364 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,937 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $37/hr |
Federal Tax | $12,290 |
State Tax | $0 |
FICA Taxes | $7,344 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 20.45% |
Want to model 401(k), HSA, or pre-tax contributions against your full salary? Open the salary calculator →
1099 contract work or side gigs? Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top. Open the 1099 tax calculator →
Got a year-end bonus, sign-on, or retention payout? See the bonus calculator →
Psychologist Salary Ranges in Tennessee
Not all Psychologists earn the same — not even close
TN psychology splits across four coherent tracks. Clinical / private practice carries practitioner volume. Medical center / academic (Vanderbilt UMC + Vanderbilt Department of Psychology + Vanderbilt Children's + St. Jude pediatric psycho-oncology + UT Knoxville) is the senior comp tier. Federal-clinical (VA Tennessee Valley + VA Memphis + VA Mountain Home Johnson City) is the WA-distinctive specialty parallel. Music industry mental health (Porter's Call + Nashville Country Music Mental Health Coalition) plus addiction medicine post-opioid-crisis round out the senior career tiers.
Senior Specialty Psychologist (Neuropsych / Pediatric / Forensic)
$165,000–$265,000
ABPP board cert · 8-12 yrs · Vanderbilt / St. Jude / Children's / VA / specialty practice · neuropsych premium
Group Practice Owner / Senior Clinical Director
$165,000–$345,000
Multi-clinician practice ownership · S-corp distribution + practice equity · Nashville urban
St. Jude Pediatric Psycho-Oncology Psychologist
$165,000–$285,000
St. Jude Children's globally-distinctive specialty bench (~30 senior psychologists) — pediatric cancer behavioral health
Vanderbilt / Academic Faculty Psychologist
$145,000–$285,000
Vanderbilt Dept of Psychiatry + Dept of Psychology · clinical professor · DRS pension + 403(b) + Vanderbilt benefits
Industry / Corporate Psychologist
$145,000–$285,000 + RSU
HCA behavioral health · Asurion EAP · Bridgestone employee health · Nissan / Dollar General corporate
Senior Clinical Psychologist (Mid-Career)
$125,000–$185,000
7-15 yrs post-license · Vanderbilt / St. Jude / Children's / VA / large group practice · supervisory tier
VA / Federal Clinical Psychologist
$105,000–$175,000
VA Nashville · VA Memphis · VA Mountain Home Johnson City · GS-13/14 + locality + FERS pension + PSLF
Forensic Psychologist (TN State Hospitals)
$135,000–$215,000
Middle TN Mental Health Institute Nashville · Western Mental Health Institute Bolivar · forensic competency restoration
Mid-Career Psychologist
$95,000–$145,000
3-7 yrs post-license · clinical private practice · TN Medicaid TennCare expansion + insurance parity driving demand
New-Grad / Post-Doc Psychologist
$70,000–$95,000
Post-doc year · pre-licensure clinical · supervision toward EPPP exam + TN jurisprudence + 1,500-hr supervised hours
Worth knowing: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital pediatric psycho-oncology is the TN-distinctive psychology specialty no other US market matches at this depth. St. Jude (Memphis-based, ~5K employees, $1.1B+ annual budget) is the world's leading pediatric cancer treatment + research facility — its psychology department (~30 senior psychologists plus residents + post-docs) is the global anchor for pediatric cancer behavioral health, family systems work, end-of-life care psychology, plus survivorship behavioral medicine. Senior St. Jude psychologists clear $185-285K cash + benefits + grant-funded research. The parallel Vanderbilt Children's Hospital pediatric bench + Vanderbilt UMC adult bench + VA Tennessee Valley (~250 clinical psychologists across Nashville + Murfreesboro + Mountain Home) round out academic + federal-clinical infrastructure. Music industry mental health niche (Porter's Call) + opioid crisis substance-use bench make TN's market distinctive.
The TN psychology market — Vanderbilt + St. Jude academic, VA Tennessee Valley federal, PsyPact mobility, music industry mental health niche
0%
TN state income tax — clinical income + private practice distributions tax-free at state
39
PsyPact compact states accessible from TN license + APIT (joined via HB 263 of 2021)
~1,800
Licensed psychologists in TN — Vanderbilt + St. Jude + VA infrastructure drives senior depth
~30
St. Jude psycho-oncology psychologists — globally-distinctive pediatric cancer specialty bench
Licensed psychologists are exempt under the Learned Professional exemption. TN license requires PhD or PsyD from APA-accredited program plus 1,500 hours of post-doctoral supervised experience plus passing the EPPP (~75% pass rate) plus TN jurisprudence exam. Once licensed, exempt classification applies by definition. Salaried plus production-bonus at large group practices.
Vanderbilt Dept of Psychiatry + Dept of Psychology + Vanderbilt Children's form the largest academic psychology bench in the Southeast — ~350 faculty + clinical staff. Clinical professor $145-285K + DRS + . Vanderbilt's research in autism, ADHD, mood disorders + consultation-liaison + neuropsychology + substance-use all anchor on Nashville campus.
St. Jude Children's (Memphis) is the globally-distinctive TN specialty bench. ~30 senior psychologists across pediatric psycho-oncology, family systems work, end-of-life care, survivorship behavioral medicine. Senior St. Jude psychologists clear $185-285K cash + benefits + research grant access. The bench is recruited globally — psychologists from CHOP + Boston Children's + Sloan Kettering Pediatrics routinely pivot to St. Jude.
VA Tennessee Valley (Nashville + Murfreesboro) plus VA Memphis + VA Mountain Home Johnson City house ~250 combined clinical psychologists. GS-13/14 + locality + FERS pension + eligibility makes federal-clinical the standard mid-career-stability path. Military / veteran specialty (PTSD, TBI, deployment trauma, SUD) drives sustained hiring.
PsyPact (TN joined via HB 263 of 2021) is the mobility lever for mid-career TN psychologists. The 39-state compact allows licensed psychologists with PSYPACT APIT + E.Passport to provide tele-psychology across compact-state lines. Post-2020 tele-psychology boom + PsyPact + TN's 0% income tax make TN an attractive base for multi-state caseloads. A Nashville psychologist can legally see clients across KY / GA / AL / NC / VA / MS plus 33 other compact states.
Music industry mental health is the TN-distinctive specialty. Porter's Call (founded 2001) provides confidential counseling + therapy to Christian + country music professionals at no cost — donor-funded. Country Music Mental Health Coalition formed 2022 post-pandemic addresses substance-use, depression, burnout in the touring industry. Senior music-industry specialists manage caseloads of established artists + tour personnel.
Opioid crisis depth drives substance-use + addiction-medicine hiring across TN. TN has been among the most affected US states — overdose deaths peaked at ~3,800 in 2021 with sustained elevated rates through 2024. TN Dept of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services + Vanderbilt Addiction Center + community mental health across all 95 counties drive sustained addiction-psychology hiring. Buprenorphine prescribing reform post-2024 X-waiver elimination expanded the practitioner base.
Tennessee as a psychologist — Vanderbilt + Vanderbilt Children's, St. Jude pediatric psycho-oncology, VA Tennessee Valley federal, Porter's Call music industry niche
Nashville clinical + academic psychology centers on Vanderbilt Dept of Psychiatry + Dept of Psychology + Vanderbilt Children's. Vanderbilt UMC Level I trauma + neuroscience + substance-use specialty. Vanderbilt Children's pediatric psychology covers chronic illness + behavioral medicine + family systems + neurodevelopmental. Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development is a leading US autism + intellectual disability research center. Senior Vanderbilt clinical professors clear $215-285K + DRS pension.
St. Jude Children's Memphis is the globally-distinctive TN specialty bench. ~30 senior psychologists across pediatric psycho-oncology + family systems + end-of-life care + survivorship behavioral medicine. The 27-bed inpatient unit + outpatient + long-term survivorship clinics generate sustained specialty work. St. Jude recruits globally — recent hires from CHOP + Boston Children's + UCSF Benioff Children's.
VA TN Healthcare System operates Nashville (~250-bed acute + outpatient) + Murfreesboro (residential VAMC) + VA Memphis (~250-bed Mid-South) + VA Mountain Home Johnson City (East TN VA serving Eastern TN + Western NC + SW VA). Combined VA TN clinical psychologist bench ~250. PTSD, TBI, deployment trauma, SUD drives sustained federal-clinical hiring. GS-13/14 + locality + FERS + .
Music industry mental health + opioid-crisis substance-use are TN-distinctive tracks. Porter's Call (founded 2001) provides confidential counseling + therapy to Christian + country music professionals at no cost. Country Music Mental Health Coalition formed 2022. Parallel substance-use specialty driven by TN's continuing opioid crisis — ~3,800 overdose deaths peak 2021, sustained through 2024.
How TN taxes work for psychologists — 0% income tax, PsyPact multi-state practice, federal student loan strategy
TN charges 0% state income tax — substantial advantage at every psychology comp tier. At mid-career $125K, TN saves ~$9,000 versus CA's 8.0% blended and $9,400 versus OR's 9.9% top. At senior specialty $215K, TN saves $16,000+ versus CA. At academic faculty $245K plus retirement, $19,000+ savings versus CA. Over a 25-30 year career, the delta compounds to $300-600K.
PsyPact tele-psychology (post-HB 263 of 2021) + TN 0% income tax creates an attractive base. A TN psychologist with PSYPACT APIT + E.Passport can see clients across 38 other compact states from a Nashville base. Clients in CA / NY / IL pay TN-based fees, but the TN psychologist pays 0% state income tax versus state-based clinicians paying 8-13.3%.
Federal student loan strategy is critical given typical PhD / PsyD debt loads $80-150K. via Vanderbilt UMC, St. Jude, VA Tennessee Valley + VA Memphis + VA Mountain Home, TN Dept of Mental Health, or community mental health centers (PSLF-eligible nonprofits) plus IDR makes 10-year forgiveness viable for ~25-30% of TN psychologists. Federal at VA + Vanderbilt combine PSLF + FERS + competitive comp.
TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest alongside LA) — regressive offset at new-grad + mid-career tiers. TN doesn't exempt groceries from sales tax. Federal pre-tax , , , FSA all flow through cleanly — TN has no state income tax to offset against.
- →Capture employer / / match before anything else. Vanderbilt (Vanderbilt Retirement Plan + optional supplemental), VA / federal (FERS pension + TSP match up to 5%), St. Jude (403(b) match up to 6%), private practice / group practice (4-6% match typical). Federal TSP match plus FERS pension is the most generous combined option.
- →Max your / ($24,500 in 2026). At TN 0% plus federal 22-32%, every $1,000 deferred saves $220-$320. Vanderbilt academic faculty get Vanderbilt Retirement Plan + optional + optional 403(b) supplemental — multi-defer ~$70K+ annual pre-tax possible.
- →PSYPACT credential investment is the highest-ROI mid-career move for clinically-trained TN psychologists. APIT ~$2K annually plus E.Passport ~$3.5K initial + $300/yr maintenance. Tele-psychology compact-state caseload at TN-based fees plus TN 0% income tax produces 15-25% income gain over single-state practice.
- → + IDR is the dominant federal-loan strategy for early-career psychologists at Vanderbilt / St. Jude / VA / community mental health. 10-year payments-then-forgiveness path at $50-90K annual loan-payment scale produces $80-150K of post-tax forgiveness equivalent.
- →Section 199A applies to private-practice psychology income as a Specified Service Trade or Business () — phases out at federal $201,775 single / $403,550 . Most senior practice owners exceed thresholds and lose QBI entirely. Below the threshold, QBI deduction is genuinely material (~20% of qualified business income).
- →Music industry mental health specialty + addiction-medicine specialty are TN-distinctive career paths. Porter's Call + Country Music Mental Health Coalition + Vanderbilt Addiction Center bench routinely command 15-25% premium over generalist clinical. Substance-use specialty driven by ongoing TN opioid crisis demand is sustained.
Three TN metros for psychologists — Nashville Vanderbilt + Porter's Call, Memphis St. Jude + VA, Knoxville VA Mountain Home + UT
TN psychology splits sharply by region + setting. Nashville is Vanderbilt + Vanderbilt Children's + VA Tennessee Valley + Porter's Call music industry niche + corporate behavioral health. Memphis is St. Jude pediatric psycho-oncology + VA Memphis + Methodist Le Bonheur. Knoxville is VA Mountain Home (Johnson City East TN) + UT Knoxville Department of Psychology + East TN forensic.
Nashville (Vanderbilt + VA Tennessee Valley + Porter's Call + Corporate)
New-grad $70-95K · Mid-career $95-185K · Specialty $165-265K · Academic faculty $145-285K · Corporate $145-285K + RSUTN's psychology core. Vanderbilt Department of Psychiatry + Department of Psychology (~350 faculty + clinical staff across Vanderbilt UMC + Vanderbilt Children's). VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (Nashville + Murfreesboro, ~130 clinical psychologists). Porter's Call music industry mental health niche. Country Music Mental Health Coalition. HCA behavioral health + Asurion EAP + Bridgestone + Nissan corporate behavioral programs.
Belle Meade / Forest Hills ($1.4-3.5M+ specialty + practice owner), Green Hills / Sylvan Park ($550K-$2.4M mid-career + senior), Hillsboro Village / Germantown ($550K-$1.2M urban townhomes), Brentwood / Franklin ($750K-$2.5M family-stage academic + senior).
Memphis (St. Jude Pediatric Psycho-Oncology + VA Memphis + Methodist Le Bonheur)
New-grad $65-90K · Mid-career $95-165K · Specialty $145-245K · St. Jude pediatric specialty $165-285K · Academic $135-245KTN's pediatric psycho-oncology + Mid-South psychology corridor. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (~30 senior psychologists globally-distinctive pediatric cancer specialty bench). VA Memphis (~80 clinical psychologists). Methodist Le Bonheur + UTHSC Med District adds healthcare-specialty depth. Memphis MSA private practice serves Mid-South / North Mississippi / East Arkansas referral catchment.
East Memphis ($425-825K SF mid-career), Germantown / Collierville ($550-1,150K family senior), Midtown ($325-625K historic urban), Bartlett ($350-650K family). Shelby County 1.31% property tax effective — higher than Davidson.
East TN (VA Mountain Home Johnson City + UT Knoxville + Forensic)
New-grad $65-90K · Mid-career $85-145K · Specialty $135-195K · VA federal $105-175K + localityEast TN's psychology corridor. VA Mountain Home (Johnson City) serves East TN + Western NC + Southwest VA — ~50 clinical psychologists. UT Knoxville Department of Psychology + ETSU (East Tennessee State University) Department of Psychology academic + clinical training. Vanderbilt Health Affiliates + Tennova Healthcare regional. Smaller bench than Nashville / Memphis but federal-clinical depth at VA Mountain Home is unmatched in the southeastern Appalachian corridor.
Sequoyah Hills (Knoxville senior), Bristol / Kingsport (NE TN), Johnson City / Mountain Home corridor ($325-585K SF VA proximity), Knoxville Bearden ($385-685K mid-career). Knox County 0.85% + Carter County 0.65% effective property tax.
The TN psychologist career arc — post-doc through senior academic / specialty / private-practice owner
TN psychology careers typically start with PhD or PsyD from APA-accredited programs (Vanderbilt, UT Knoxville, University of Memphis, ETSU, plus out-of-state Stanford / Berkeley / UCLA / Penn / Yale / Chicago / Michigan). Post-doctoral year ($50-75K, often part of a hospital-based clinical residency) plus 1,500 hours of supervised experience plus EPPP exam (~75% pass rate) plus TN jurisprudence exam. New-grad post-license positions $70-95K at Vanderbilt / St. Jude / VA / Methodist Le Bonheur / community mental health / large group practice.
Mid-career psychologist (years 3-8 post-license): comp $95-185K. Specialty fork at year 4-5 between clinical generalist / neuropsychology (post-doc + board cert) / forensic (post-doc + ABFP) / pediatric / health psychology / industrial-organizational / military-veteran. PSYPACT APIT credential at this stage opens multi-state tele-psychology practice. Vanderbilt academic-track candidates pursue clinical-faculty positions via competitive internal hiring.
Senior clinical / academic faculty / specialty-boarded (years 8-15): comp $145-265K. ABPP board cert adds 25-40% premium across specialty tracks. Vanderbilt clinical professor $145-285K + DRS pension + . St. Jude senior pediatric psycho-oncology $185-285K. VA TN senior clinical $135-185K + locality + FERS.
Senior academic / specialty / practice owner / senior federal (years 15+): Vanderbilt senior professor / dept head $215-385K + DRS. St. Jude senior $235-385K. VA chief psychologist $155-235K + locality + FERS. Senior group practice owner $215-385K + practice equity. HCA / Asurion senior behavioral health $185-345K. TN's 0% income tax + 0.71% property + PsyPact + federal + FERS make senior TN careers financially better than CA / NY / OR peers.
Where TN psychologists live — Belle Meade, Green Hills, East Memphis, Germantown, plus Sequoyah Hills for East TN
TN psychologists cluster by setting + region. Nashville Vanderbilt + private practice to Belle Meade / Forest Hills (senior + practice owner), Green Hills (mid-career + senior), Hillsboro Village (new-grad + post-doc). St. Jude + VA Memphis to East Memphis / Germantown / Collierville. East TN VA Mountain Home + UT Knoxville to Sequoyah Hills + Johnson City / Mountain Home corridor.
Belle Meade / Forest Hills (Nashville senior + practice owner)
5-15 min downtown · top-tier · $1.4-3.5M+ SF · specialty boarded + senior practice owner residential
Green Hills / Sylvan Park (Nashville mid-career + senior)
10-20 min downtown · $550K-$2.4M SF · Vanderbilt faculty + senior clinical residential
Hillsboro Village / Germantown (Nashville new-grad / post-doc)
5-15 min Vanderbilt UMC · $550K-$1.2M townhomes · post-doc + mid-career walkable urban
Brentwood / Franklin (Williamson Co family senior)
20-30 min downtown · $750K-$2.5M family · top schools · in-house behavioral health + senior Vanderbilt
East Memphis (Memphis mid-career + Sr clinical)
10-15 min downtown · $425-825K SF · solid Sr Clinical + St. Jude mid-career residential
Germantown / Collierville (Memphis family senior + St. Jude)
20-30 min downtown · $550-1,150K SF · top schools · St. Jude senior + VA Memphis senior residential
Sequoyah Hills (Knoxville senior + UT)
5-15 min UT Knoxville · $385-950K SF · UT faculty + senior clinical residential
Johnson City / Mountain Home (VA federal-clinical)
$325-585K SF · 5-10 min VA Mountain Home · federal-clinical psychologist + locality premium
TN psychologist residential geography reflects the dispersed nature of the field — Nashville concentration for academic + Vanderbilt + Porter's Call + corporate plus material outposts in Memphis (St. Jude + VA), Knoxville + Johnson City (East TN VA + UT). PsyPact tele-psychology opens further geographic flexibility — PsyPact-credentialed psychologists can serve compact-state caseloads from any TN residence with reliable broadband.
Is this the right move?
TN for psychologists — who it actually works for
Working in your favor
- +TN 0% state income tax saves $7,000-$25,000+/yr depending on tier — substantial advantage over CA, OR (9.9% top), and NY at every comp level
- +PsyPact 39-state compact (joined via HB 263 of 2021) plus TN 0% income tax make TN an attractive base for multi-state tele-psychology practice
- +Vanderbilt Dept of Psychiatry + Dept of Psychology + Vanderbilt Children's + St. Jude pediatric psycho-oncology are among the deepest US academic-clinical benches
- +St. Jude pediatric psycho-oncology specialty bench is globally-distinctive — ~30 senior psychologists with grant-funded research access plus $185-285K cash + benefits
- +VA Tennessee Valley + VA Memphis + VA Mountain Home (~250 combined psychologists) + Porter's Call music industry niche are TN-distinctive career tracks
Worth knowing before you sign
- −TN combined sales tax averages 9.55% (highest alongside LA) — regressive offset at new-grad + mid-career tiers
- −TN does not exempt groceries from sales tax (one of 13 states fully taxing food) — meaningful tax burden at lower tiers
- −Section 199A QBI does not apply to senior practice income (SSTB + threshold) — most senior owners lose this federal deduction at $200K+ comp
- −TN PhD / PsyD debt loads $80-150K pressure new-grad cash flow — PSLF via Vanderbilt / St. Jude / VA is essential early-career planning
- −Nashville top-end academic + practice owner comp ($385K) trails NYC + Bay Area — career-cap matters for senior directors
Calculate Your Exact Take-Home Pay
Add 401(k) contributions, HSA, dependents, and more to see your personalized take-home.
Open Full CalculatorFrequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about your taxes and our calculator.
Compare Two States
See how income tax, take-home pay, and total tax burden differ between any two US states side by side.
State 1
State 2
Psychologist Salary in Other States
More on Tennessee
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Tennessee in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Tennessee in 2026.
Adjust filing status, 401(k) for your exact 2026 take-home in Tennessee.