Surgeon Salary in Tennessee (2026)
The average Surgeon in Tennessee earns around $540,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $365,537/year ($30,461/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $365,537 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $30,461 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $14,059 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $176/hr |
Federal Tax | $152,134 |
State Tax | $0 |
FICA Taxes | $22,329 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 32.31% |
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Surgeon Salary Ranges in Tennessee
Not all Surgeons earn the same — not even close
Tennessee's surgeon market is concentrated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, ~40K employees — the dominant TN academic medical center, ranking consistently top-15 nationally for NIH research funding and top-15 for surgical specialty depth), HCA Healthcare (Nashville HQ, the country's largest for-profit hospital system, ~50K employed clinicians + administrators in TN), Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Memphis, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Memphis (the country's premier pediatric cancer center), Erlanger Hospital Chattanooga (Level 1 trauma), plus Saint Thomas + Ascension Saint Thomas health systems.
Cardiothoracic Surgeon (CT)
$545,000–$895,000+ TC
Vanderbilt CT surgery · TriStar Centennial Heart Vascular Surgery · HCA · transplant program
Neurosurgeon
$545,000–$895,000+ TC
Vanderbilt Neurosurgery (top-15 nationally) · Semmes-Murphey Neurologic Memphis · complex spine + tumor
Orthopedic Surgeon (Sports / Joint Replacement)
$485,000–$815,000
Vanderbilt Sports Med · Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance · Memphis Bone & Joint Clinic
Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon
$515,000–$855,000
Vanderbilt Level 1 trauma · Erlanger Level 1 (Chattanooga) · Regional One Memphis trauma
General / Colorectal Surgeon
$385,000–$625,000
Vanderbilt + Methodist Le Bonheur + Saint Thomas · senior community-hospital private practice
Transplant Surgeon
$535,000–$895,000
Vanderbilt Transplant Center (top-10 nationally for liver/kidney/heart combined) · academic leadership
Urologic Surgeon
$415,000–$685,000
Vanderbilt Urology · Memphis Urology · robotic prostatectomy + uro-oncology subspecialty premium
Pediatric Surgeon (St. Jude / Vanderbilt)
$475,000–$765,000
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital pediatric oncologic surgery · Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital
Plastic Surgeon (Reconstructive)
$425,000–$745,000
Vanderbilt Plastic · St. Jude reconstructive · Memphis + Nashville private cosmetic market
Senior Surgical Fellow (PGY-6 to PGY-8+)
$78,000–$95,000
Vanderbilt + Methodist Le Bonheur + St. Jude surgical fellowship programs · PGY scale plus call
Worth knowing: Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the structural depth feature most national surgeon-market surveys understate for TN. Vanderbilt UMC (Nashville, ~40K employees, ~$5B revenue, ranking top-15 nationally for NIH research funding) operates one of the South's strongest academic surgical centers — Vanderbilt Neurosurgery + Vanderbilt Transplant Center both top-10 nationally, and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is top-30 nationally ranked pediatric. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Memphis (founded 1962 by Danny Thomas, ~5K employees, fully donor-funded model where families pay nothing — globally unique structure) is the country's premier pediatric cancer center, and St. Jude's pediatric oncologic surgical practice is among the most prestigious. HCA Healthcare HQ Nashville (Fortune 100, ~$70B revenue, the country's largest for-profit hospital system) employs substantial physician administrative + clinical staff at the Nashville HQ. TN's 0% state income tax (Article II §28 constitutional bar, Hall Tax fully repealed 2021) means a $700K senior cardiothoracic surgeon takes home ~$45K more annually than the same role in MA paying 9% Fair Share — over a 25-year senior surgical career the delta exceeds $1.1M. TN joined IMLC in 2017 for multistate licensure mobility. Combined with 0.7% effective property tax (well below TX), TN has emerged as a major HNW physician relocation destination.
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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.
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