Elevation of Memphis
259ft
above sea level · 79 m
Memphis is a city in Tennessee with 609,647 people, the 2nd most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 33rd lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 35.15° N · 90.05° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 35° 8′ 58″ N · 90° 2′ 56″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 15S · 768,835 E · 3,893,614 N
- Zone 15 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 609,647 people
- 290 sq mi of land · 2,104 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from March 2017: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Memphis had 609,647 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 3.0% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 628,510. Its 290 sq mi of land work out to 2,104 people/sq mi; the state average is 177 people/sq mi.
It’s the 2nd most populous of the 504 places the Census counts in Tennessee (cities, towns and CDPs), after Nashville (721,074), and holds 8.3% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Shelby County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 5.3 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other big cities
Memphis sits at 259 ft (79 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Memphis is 599 ft below it.
The state capital, Nashville, is 196 mi away in a straight line and 296 ft higher than Memphis.
The highest point in Tennessee is Kuwohi, at 6,643 ft according to the USGS: 6,384 ft above Memphis, 370 mi away in a straight line.
- 59 Memphis 259 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Memphis.
What is the elevation of Memphis?
Memphis is 259 feet (79 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Memphis?
Latitude 35.14953 and longitude -90.04898, in decimal degrees (35° 8′ 58″ N · 90° 2′ 56″ W). In UTM, zone 15: 768,835 E and 3,893,614 N, on NAD83.
How does Memphis rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 33rd lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Memphis in?
Shelby County, Tennessee.
Which is higher, Memphis or Nashville?
Nashville. Memphis sits at 259 ft and Nashville at 555 ft: a difference of 296 ft, 196 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know