Furniture Finishers Salary
Furniture Finishers in Memphis, TN-MS-AR make a median of $39,950 a year, or about $19.21 an hour. The range runs from $30K at the entry level to $58K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 92.18), which stretches that salary to about $43,339 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,274/month, about 44.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $40K get you in Memphis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Memphis’s Regional Price Parity (92.18). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About furniture finishers
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What this looks like in Memphis
Furniture finishers pay in Memphis tracks closely to the national median, $40K locally vs. $45K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,274/month, which is 44.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 92.18 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for furniture finishers in metros near Memphis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | $36K | $40K |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | $40K | $45K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $39K | $42K |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $40K | $40K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Entry-level furniture finishers (10th percentile) start around $30K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $58K or more, a $28K spread from bottom to top.
Furniture Finishers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Furniture Finishers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $60K | +34% | 90 |
| Massachusetts | $56K | +26% | 340 |
| New Hampshire | $56K | +26% | 30 |
| Colorado | $50K | +12% | 170 |
| California | $49K | +10% | 1,010 |
| Minnesota | $49K | +9% | 340 |
| New York | $48K | +9% | 1,000 |
| Illinois | $48K | +7% | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $47K | +7% | 790 |
| Vermont | $47K | +6% | 30 |
| Nevada | $47K | +5% | 190 |
| Iowa | $47K | +4% | 70 |
| Ohio | $46K | +4% | 190 |
| Missouri | $46K | +4% | 410 |
| Florida | $46K | +2% | 1,470 |
| Maine | $46K | +2% | 80 |
| Nebraska | $46K | +2% | 80 |
| Michigan | $45K | +2% | 570 |
| Utah | $45K | +1% | 250 |
| Maryland | $44K | -1% | 60 |
| South Carolina | $43K | -3% | 120 |
| Indiana | $43K | -3% | 1,280 |
| Wisconsin | $43K | -3% | 260 |
| Washington | $43K | -3% | 360 |
| Kentucky | $43K | -4% | 50 |
| Oregon | $43K | -4% | 190 |
| West Virginia | $42K | -7% | 100 |
| New Mexico | $41K | -7% | 50 |
| North Carolina | $40K | -10% | 950 |
| Arizona | $40K | -11% | 410 |
| Idaho | $40K | -11% | 160 |
| Kansas | $39K | -11% | 200 |
| South Dakota | $39K | -12% | 110 |
| Arkansas | $39K | -12% | 30 |
| Louisiana | $39K | -13% | 50 |
| Georgia | $39K | -13% | 290 |
| Mississippi | $38K | -14% | 130 |
| Virginia | $38K | -15% | 230 |
| New Jersey | $38K | -15% | 260 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -17% | 30 |
| Texas | $36K | -18% | 980 |
| Alabama | $35K | -22% | 190 |
| Tennessee | $32K | -28% | 620 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track furniture finishers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Memphis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a furniture finisher afford a 2BR apartment alone in Memphis?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 44.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,274/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for furniture finishers in Memphis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new furniture finishers typically earn — is $30K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,797/month. At HUD’s $1,274/month FMR, rent would take 71% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is furniture finisher a high-paying job in Memphis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $40K locally vs. $45K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Memphis compare to the national average for furniture finishers?
Memphis pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $45K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 92.18), the purchasing-power equivalent is $43K — below the national median.
How much do furniture finishers make in Memphis, TN-MS-AR?
The median is $39,950 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,950, and experienced furniture finishers can clear $57,780. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Memphis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,845/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,274/month, which eats 44.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a furniture finishers salary go in Memphis?
Memphis has a Regional Price Parity of 92.18 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median furniture finishers salary is worth about $43,339 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do furniture finishers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.