Does Tennessee have a state income tax?

No. Tennessee has never taxed wage or salary income, and it fully repealed the Hall Tax on interest and dividend income as of January 1, 2021 — making it a true no-income-tax state today.

Do movers need a special license for in-state moves in Tennessee?

Yes. Tennessee requires household goods movers operating within the state to hold Intrastate Authority from the Tennessee Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services division — separate from the federal FMCSA authority that governs interstate moves — including cargo insurance (Form H) specific to household goods. Confirm a mover's intrastate authority before booking an in-state move.

When is moving season busiest in Tennessee?

No Tennessee-specific peak season beyond the generic national summer rush (roughly May through September) was found in this research pass — use the site's general seasonal guidance rather than a state-specific pattern.

How much does it cost to move within Tennessee, e.g. from Nashville to Memphis or Knoxville?

There's no separate in-state corridor pricing yet — use the local-move rows in the cost table above as a starting range, or the [moving cost calculator](/moving-calculator) for a number based on your actual home size and distance.

Why are so many people moving to Tennessee?

Census data shows Tennessee gained a net 42,389 residents from domestic migration in the year through June 2025 — the 4th-highest total of any state — driven in large part by its no-income-tax status and lower cost of living relative to nearby Sun Belt states, alongside job growth centered on Nashville and Memphis.

What's rent like in Tennessee's major metros right now?

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit is $1,360/month in Nashville, $1,870/month in Memphis, and $1,470/month in Knoxville — Memphis runs highest of the three despite Nashville being the larger, faster-growing metro.

Moving to Tennessee: Costs, Routes & What to Know

Last reviewed 2026-08-25 · Next review due 2026-09-25

A typical 3-bedroom move in or out of Tennessee runs $1,400-$2,450 locally or $4,200-$6,720 long-distance (national planning ranges). Tennessee has no state income tax and ranked 4th nationally for net domestic in-migration in the year through mid-2025, gaining over 42,000 residents from other states.

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Tennessee at a glance

Tennessee is the nation's 15th most populous state at roughly 7.3 million residents, anchored by four distinct metros rather than one dominant city: Nashville (2.15 million, the state's largest and its music/healthcare/finance hub), Memphis (1.34 million, a logistics and freight hub on the Mississippi River), Knoxville (957,600, anchored by the University of Tennessee) and Chattanooga (588,100, a smaller but fast-growing metro near the Georgia border). Tennessee has no state income tax on wages or salaries, and fully repealed its Hall Tax on interest and dividend income effective January 1, 2021 — one of the most commonly cited draws for retirees and remote workers relocating from higher-tax states. That tax structure, combined with a lower cost of living than nearby Sun Belt peers and steady job growth in Nashville and Memphis, has made Tennessee one of the top destination states for domestic movers in recent years.

Population: 7,315,076; July 1, 2025
State income tax: No personal income tax
Major metros: Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin MSA (2.15M), Memphis MSA (1.34M), Knoxville MSA (957,600), Chattanooga MSA (588,100) — 2024 Census Bureau Population Estimates via [USAFacts](https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-live-in-the-us/metro-area/nashville-tn/)

Tennessee levies no tax on wage/salary income, and fully repealed its Hall Tax on interest and dividend income as of January 1, 2021, making it a true no-income-tax state. Beacon Center of Tennessee — Celebrating the Hall Tax Repeal

Who is moving in and out

Tennessee has run consistent, substantial net domestic in-migration for years. The most recent Census Population Estimates vintage (July 2024–June 2025) shows Tennessee gained a net 42,389 residents from domestic migration alone — the 4th-highest net domestic migration total of any state that year, behind only larger Sun Belt states — plus roughly 18,000 net international arrivals, for total population growth of 63,785 (0.88%), the 8th-largest numeric gain in the country. A separate, earlier-vintage Census ACS state-to-state flow dataset for 2024 shows a similar pattern at smaller scale: about 192,200 people moved into Tennessee from other states against about 156,400 who left, a net gain of roughly 35,800 (ranked 8th nationally in that dataset). California, Florida and Texas are consistently the top sources of people moving into Tennessee; Florida, Kentucky and Alabama are the top destinations for Tennessee residents who leave.

Inbound: 192,200
Outbound: 156,400
Net domestic: +35,800

Top origin states

California (19,700)
Florida (18,500)
Texas (12,800)

Top destination states

Florida (16,200)
Kentucky (14,200)
Alabama (11,300)

Data year: 2024 ACS state-to-state migration flows (updated May 14, 2026); Census Population Estimates Program Vintage 2025 (July 2024–June 2025) for the more recent net-domestic-migration rank

Two legitimate Census products (ACS state-to-state flows vs. the Vintage 2025 Population Estimates Program) report different net-domestic-migration totals for overlapping-but-distinct periods (+35,800 vs. +42,389) and different national ranks (8th vs. 4th) — both are shown with their specific periods and sources rather than picking one and hiding the discrepancy. The 4th-nationally rank comes from a single source (the UT Boyd Center's state data center, itself citing Census) and was not independently cross-checked against a second outlet's ranking of the same Vintage 2025 release; the underlying population and growth figures it cites do match Census QuickFacts exactly, which supports its reliability.

Typical moving costs

These figures are national moving-industry planning ranges scaled by home size, not Tennessee-specific pricing — cost data at that level of granularity isn't reliably published for any single state. They use the same underlying benchmarks as MoverQuoteEngine's own moving cost calculator: an hourly local-move rate and a per-pound long-distance rate, scaled by the typical crew time and shipment weight for each home size. A genuinely Tennessee-specific range would need to be derived from this state's own priced move corridors, once enough live route pages exist to support that — not attempted in this pass (see `upgrade_note` below).

National planning ranges by home size for local and long-distance moves
Home size	Local	Long-distance
Studio	$600-$1,050	$1,250-$2,000
1 Bedroom	$800-$1,400	$2,000-$3,200
2 Bedroom	$1,100-$1,925	$3,000-$4,800
3 Bedroom	$1,400-$2,450	$4,200-$6,720
4 Bedroom	$1,800-$3,150	$5,500-$8,800
5+ Bedroom	$2,200-$3,850	$7,000-$11,200

For a number tailored to your actual move, use the moving cost calculator.

Once this state has enough live `/moving-from-{city}-us-to-{city}-us` route pages, replace this national-benchmark table with a state-specific range derived from those priced corridors — the same approach movingcostadvisor.com uses. Not done here because the route inventory wasn't available to this research pass.

New-resident deadlines

Topic	Requirement	Source
Driver's license	New residents who hold a valid out-of-state license must obtain a Tennessee driver license no later than 30 days after establishing residency. Applicants surrender their old license, pass a vision screening, and provide proof of citizenship/legal presence, Social Security number, and two proofs of Tennessee residency; a knowledge and road test is also required if the out-of-state license has been expired more than six months.	Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security — New Residents
Vehicle registration	New residents must register their vehicle in Tennessee within 30 days of the move, per Tennessee Code Annotated § 55-4-101(b)(2).	Tennessee Department of Revenue — VR-6: New Residents Should Register Within 30 Days
Voter registration	Registration (in person, by mail, or online) must be submitted or postmarked 30 days before Election Day; if the deadline falls on a Sunday or legal holiday it moves to the next business day. Tennessee has no same-day registration.	Vote.org — Tennessee Voter Registration; Tennessee Secretary of State — How to Register to Vote

Housing, season and licensing

Housing snapshot

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit (effective October 1, 2025) is $1,360/month in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro, $1,870/month in the Memphis metro, and $1,470/month in the Knoxville metro — Memphis runs highest of the three despite being the state's second-largest metro, while Nashville's rate sits below both Memphis and Knoxville. HUD Fair Market Rents dataset; figures via BNBCalc — Tennessee Section 8 / FMR by city, a third-party aggregator of HUD's published FMR data (not independently re-derived from HUD's raw file in this pass).

No distinct Tennessee-specific peak-season driver turned up beyond the national late-spring through summer pattern.

Mover licensing

Yes — Tennessee requires its own intrastate authority for household goods movers, separate from federal FMCSA (USDOT/MC) authority required for interstate moves. Per the Tennessee Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services division, for-hire carriers operating within Tennessee — including household goods movers — must file an Intrastate Authority Application, designate a Tennessee agent for service of process, and carry Form E (liability) and Form H (cargo) insurance certificates, with Form H explicitly required for carriers hauling household goods. Applications are processed through the state's TNTAP portal or by paper filing with the Department of Revenue. Tennessee Department of Revenue — Intrastate Authority

Common in-state corridors

Nashville → Memphis — roughly 210 miles via I-40, the state's two largest metros
Nashville → Knoxville — roughly 180 miles via I-40
Nashville → Chattanooga — roughly 135 miles via I-24

Popular routes

Live city-pair route pages touching Tennessee will appear here as they publish.

Main inbound partners

from California
from Florida
from Texas

Main outbound partners

Partner-state lists come from Census migration flows. Linked corridors above are live published route pages, not guessed slugs.

Tennessee city guides

No live Tennessee city guide is published yet — more cities coming soon.

Coming soon: Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tennessee have a state income tax?: No. Tennessee has never taxed wage or salary income, and it fully repealed the Hall Tax on interest and dividend income as of January 1, 2021 — making it a true no-income-tax state today.
Do movers need a special license for in-state moves in Tennessee?: Yes. Tennessee requires household goods movers operating within the state to hold Intrastate Authority from the Tennessee Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services division — separate from the federal FMCSA authority that governs interstate moves — including cargo insurance (Form H) specific to household goods. Confirm a mover's intrastate authority before booking an in-state move.
When is moving season busiest in Tennessee?: No Tennessee-specific peak season beyond the generic national summer rush (roughly May through September) was found in this research pass — use the site's general seasonal guidance rather than a state-specific pattern.
How much does it cost to move within Tennessee, e.g. from Nashville to Memphis or Knoxville?: There's no separate in-state corridor pricing yet — use the local-move rows in the cost table above as a starting range, or the moving cost calculator for a number based on your actual home size and distance.
Why are so many people moving to Tennessee?: Census data shows Tennessee gained a net 42,389 residents from domestic migration in the year through June 2025 — the 4th-highest total of any state — driven in large part by its no-income-tax status and lower cost of living relative to nearby Sun Belt states, alongside job growth centered on Nashville and Memphis.
What's rent like in Tennessee's major metros right now?: HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom unit is $1,360/month in Nashville, $1,870/month in Memphis, and $1,470/month in Knoxville — Memphis runs highest of the three despite Nashville being the larger, faster-growing metro.