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    Salary / LMFT / Tennessee

    LMFT salary in Tennessee

    What LMFT roles are advertised at, and the Tennessee factors that change the number.

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    How much does a LMFT earn in Tennessee?

    Federal wage data for Tennessee puts the median for marriage and family therapists at $46,700 a year, with the middle of the market between $34,690 and $63,540 and about 1,440 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Federal figures cover marriage and family therapists of every license level in the state. Fast-growing ABA and pediatric therapy market around Nashville. Nationally, the LMFT roles we recruit are advertised at roughly $58k – $88k; the national LMFT salary guide sets out the entry, mid-career and senior figures behind that.

    LMFT advertised pay by experience

    Entry
    $58k
    First role after certification
    Mid-career
    $72k
    Two to five years, full caseload
    Senior
    $88k
    Supervisory scope or specialist skill

    Official Tennessee wage data

    Federal wage data for Tennessee puts the median for marriage and family therapists at $46,700 a year, with the middle of the market between $34,690 and $63,540 and about 1,440 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Federal figures cover marriage and family therapists of every license level in the state.

    Median
    $46,700
    Mean
    $49,050
    10th percentile
    $34,690
    90th percentile
    $63,540

    Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. State wage tables

    What changes a LMFT offer in Tennessee

    • LPC-MHSP, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed.
    • Setting: Outpatient mental health, Community agencies, Child and family services price differently for the same credential.
    • Caseload cap and billable or productivity target, which decide whether a bonus is real.
    • Metro cost of living within the state; a city premium is not the same as a better offer.
    • Scarcity: Strong in child, adolescent and family programs, and in states with large associate pipelines.

    How to read the TN figures

    The federal estimates above are the official Tennessee picture for marriage and family therapists, published annually and lagging the market by about a year. What we publish alongside them is what we actually see advertised on roles we recruit today. Use the federal median as a floor for negotiation and the advertised range as the live signal.

    Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data

    Last reviewed August 2026.

    Live LMFT roles in Tennessee

    No live LMFT roles in Tennessee right now. Tell us your license status and target setting and we will contact you when the next Tennessee search opens.

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    How to work as a LMFT in Tennessee

    1. 1

      Confirm the credential

      State LMFT licensure. This is the baseline every Tennessee employer screens on before anything else.

    2. 2

      Check the TN requirement

      LPC-MHSP, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed.

    3. 3

      Check the multi-state routes

      PSYPACT: member; Counseling Compact: enacted Compact participation changes, so confirm the current position with the Tennessee board rather than a secondary source.

    4. 4

      Build board processing into your start date

      Processing time, not eligibility, is the usual cause of a delayed start. Agree a start date with the licensing timeline already in it.

    5. 5

      Match the credential to open work

      Compare the advertised range for LMFT roles, roughly $58k – $88k, against the live Tennessee vacancies on this page, or join the talent network to be contacted when the next Tennessee search opens.

    Continue with LMFT in Tennessee

    LMFT pay and licensure in Tennessee: common questions

    Do you need a license to work as a LMFT in Tennessee?
    LPC-MHSP, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed. Confirm the current position with the Tennessee board before you accept a start date, as processing time is the usual cause of a delayed start.
    What is the average LMFT salary in Tennessee?
    Federal wage data for Tennessee puts the median for marriage and family therapists at $46,700 a year, with the middle of the market between $34,690 and $63,540 and about 1,440 people employed in the state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Federal figures cover marriage and family therapists of every license level in the state. Advertised pay on the LMFT roles we recruit nationally sits at roughly $58k – $88k, and offers land inside that band according to setting, caseload and metro cost of living.
    Does LMFT pay in Tennessee differ from the rest of the US?
    We publish advertised pay on the roles we recruit, not a Tennessee average. Across the US those LMFT roles are advertised at roughly $58k – $88k, and where a Tennessee offer lands inside that band is driven by setting, caseload and metro cost of living. For an official comparison, Tennessee median pay for marriage and family therapists is $46,700; treat that as a negotiating floor.
    Where are the LMFT jobs in Tennessee?
    Fast-growing ABA and pediatric therapy market around Nashville. The live LMFT vacancies we hold in Tennessee are listed on this page; when nothing is open there today, the national LMFT board carries every role we currently hold.
    Who employs LMFTs in Tennessee?
    The employers hiring this credential are outpatient mental health, community agencies, child and family services, telehealth, private practice groups. Which of those dominates in Tennessee follows the local funding and provider mix rather than any national pattern, and it is the single biggest driver of what an offer looks like: the same LMFT is priced differently by a center-based provider, a school district and a hospital system.
    What do employers look for when hiring a LMFT in Tennessee?
    First, the credential and the right to practise: state lmft licensure. LPC-MHSP, LCSW and LMFT are separately licensed. After that, hiring managers screen on the specifics of the work — caseload size you have carried, the settings you have worked in, supervision responsibility, and documentation or payer experience. Availability matters too: a realistic start date that accounts for board processing usually beats a stronger resume that cannot start.
    What does the salary range on this page actually mean?
    Two different things, kept separate on purpose. $58k – $88k is what LMFT roles we recruit are advertised at across the US — a live market signal, not a survey. The federal figures are official Tennessee estimates for marriage and family therapists: $46,700 median, with $34,690 at the 10th percentile and $63,540 at the 90th. They cover the whole occupation in the state, are published annually and lag the market by roughly a year, so read the median as a negotiating floor rather than a target. Neither number is an offer; where you land inside a range is set by setting, caseload and metro cost of living.

    LMFT pay in other states

    A clinical director and a hiring lead shaking hands across a meeting-room table.

    Hiring LMFTs in Tennessee

    Pay is the last thing that fixes a stalled search

    Relational-hour requirements shape who can actually take the job; we screen for them explicitly.

    Join the LMFT talent networkHire a LMFT in Tennessee
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    • Behavioral health only
    • Recruiting across all 50 states
    • Pay published on every role
    • Recruitment partnerships, not job spam