Rent Affordability for A Waiter or Waitress in Tennessee
A typical waiter or waitress in Tennessee earns about $33,608 a year, which supports approximately $840 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Tennessee city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.
As of May 2026. 2 of 72 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 70 are rent-burdened on this salary.
| City↕ | Median rent↕ | % of income↑ | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dyersburg, TN | $757/mo | 27% | affordable |
| Dayton, TN | $815/mo | 29.1% | affordable |
| Martin, TN | $930/mo | 33.2% | stretched |
| Brownsville, TN | $932/mo | 33.3% | stretched |
| Elizabethton, TN | $1,067/mo | 38.1% | stretched |
| Athens, TN | $1,085/mo | 38.7% | stretched |
| Covington, TN | $1,100/mo | 39.3% | stretched |
| Greeneville, TN | $1,114/mo | 39.8% | stretched |
| Jefferson City, TN | $1,152/mo | 41.1% | rent-burdened |
| Lawrenceburg, TN | $1,170/mo | 41.8% | rent-burdened |
| Memphis, TN | $1,280/mo | 45.7% | rent-burdened |
| Kingston, TN | $1,285/mo | 45.9% | rent-burdened |
| East Ridge, TN | $1,322/mo | 47.2% | rent-burdened |
| Kingsport, TN | $1,355/mo | 48.4% | rent-burdened |
| Clarksville, TN | $1,376/mo | 49.1% | rent-burdened |
| Red Bank, TN | $1,374/mo | 49.1% | rent-burdened |
| Smithville, TN | $1,400/mo | 50% | rent-burdened |
| Bristol, TN | $1,415/mo | 50.5% | severely rent-burdened |
| Cleveland, TN | $1,439/mo | 51.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Soddy-Daisy, TN | $1,444/mo | 51.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Jackson, TN | $1,451/mo | 51.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Johnson City, TN | $1,467/mo | 52.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Crossville, TN | $1,484/mo | 53% | severely rent-burdened |
| Manchester, TN | $1,493/mo | 53.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Morristown, TN | $1,502/mo | 53.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Chattanooga, TN | $1,505/mo | 53.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Springfield, TN | $1,554/mo | 55.5% | severely rent-burdened |
| Cookeville, TN | $1,564/mo | 55.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Tullahoma, TN | $1,573/mo | 56.2% | severely rent-burdened |
| Hixson, TN | $1,577/mo | 56.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Columbia, TN | $1,580/mo | 56.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Ashland City, TN | $1,580/mo | 56.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Millington, TN | $1,599/mo | 57.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Seymour, TN | $1,625/mo | 58% | severely rent-burdened |
| Gallatin, TN | $1,633/mo | 58.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Goodlettsville, TN | $1,648/mo | 58.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Oak Ridge, TN | $1,673/mo | 59.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Collegedale, TN | $1,673/mo | 59.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Hendersonville, TN | $1,678/mo | 59.9% | severely rent-burdened |
| Murfreesboro, TN | $1,687/mo | 60.2% | severely rent-burdened |
| Smyrna, TN | $1,693/mo | 60.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Portland, TN | $1,698/mo | 60.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Lebanon, TN | $1,704/mo | 60.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Sevierville, TN | $1,711/mo | 61.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Lakeland, TN | $1,725/mo | 61.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Alcoa, TN | $1,732/mo | 61.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Lenoir City, TN | $1,732/mo | 61.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Knoxville, TN | $1,735/mo | 61.9% | severely rent-burdened |
| Jonesborough, TN | $1,738/mo | 62.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| White House, TN | $1,783/mo | 63.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Louisville, TN | $1,800/mo | 64.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Dickson, TN | $1,808/mo | 64.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Cordova, TN | $1,811/mo | 64.7% | severely rent-burdened |
| Nashville, TN | $1,825/mo | 65.2% | severely rent-burdened |
| Bartlett, TN | $1,938/mo | 69.2% | severely rent-burdened |
| Collierville, TN | $1,956/mo | 69.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Maryville, TN | $1,955/mo | 69.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Corryton, TN | $1,968/mo | 70.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Farragut, TN | $2,026/mo | 72.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Spring Hill, TN | $2,030/mo | 72.5% | severely rent-burdened |
| Powell, TN | $2,075/mo | 74.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Clinton, TN | $2,083/mo | 74.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Oakland, TN | $2,123/mo | 75.8% | severely rent-burdened |
| Brentwood, TN | $2,129/mo | 76% | severely rent-burdened |
| Franklin, TN | $2,132/mo | 76.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Mount Juliet, TN | $2,138/mo | 76.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Ooltewah, TN | $2,138/mo | 76.3% | severely rent-burdened |
| Harrison, TN | $2,145/mo | 76.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| La Vergne, TN | $2,158/mo | 77.1% | severely rent-burdened |
| Thompsons Station, TN | $2,281/mo | 81.4% | severely rent-burdened |
| Arlington, TN | $2,480/mo | 88.6% | severely rent-burdened |
| Germantown, TN | $2,533/mo | 90.4% | severely rent-burdened |