State of Our State

How Does Tennessee Stack Up?

ThinkTennessee’s State of Our State dashboard, now in its 6th year, provides a snapshot of how our state ranks nationally across 135 of the indicators that matter most to Tennesseans.

The Tennessee economy is rapidly expanding. But to date, our economic success has not yet translated into greater economic opportunity and security for all Tennesseans.

Indeed, while our latest dashboard finds improvements in our national rank on statewide economic indicators from GDP growth (in just three years we’ve risen from #24 in the country to #1–a rate of 8.6% in 2021!) to poverty to unemployment, metrics at the individual level, including median household income, debt levels, and cost-burdened households among others have declined or worsened.

Importantly, state-level economic successes did not happen by accident. Rather, the improvement in these metrics is a direct result of concerted statewide policy efforts and prioritization – illuminating a path forward to achieve similar progress on many of the affordability, infrastructure, and health challenges continuing to plague our state’s working families.

As Tennessee moves deeper into this period of economic expansion, the 2023 dashboard points to several areas where the scope of policymaking should prioritize expanding access to opportunities for all Tennesseans.

Interested in ideas about how to move our state forward? Our research shares success stories from other states and includes pragmatic solutions about how Tennessee can continue to make progress.

Note: For the sake of consistency, rankings have been standardized so low numbers always reflect positive outcomes. In other words, being ranked first is always better than being ranked 50th. Additional detail on research methodology can be found below the rankings.

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

New Businesses

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Uninsured Rate

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Student Loan Debt

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Public Library Funding

Unbanked Households

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Public School Teacher Salary

Food Insecurity

Adult Obesity

Seniors Living in Poverty

Women Holding Elected Office

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Youth Unemployment

Student Loan Holders in Default

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Underemployment

Road Quality

Median Household Income

Rural Broadband Access

Drinking Water Quality

Uninsured Children

Recidivism

Homelessness

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Black Incarceration Rate

Black Voter Registration

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Food-Insecure Seniors

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Cost of Living

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Women Living in Poverty

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Income Inequality

Infant Mortality

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Voter Turnout

Volunteerism

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Young Children Not in School

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Children in Poverty

Felon Disenfranchisement

Mental Health Providers

Green Jobs

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Nursing Home Quality

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Women Judges

Foreclosures

Broadband Subscriptions

Poverty

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

High School Graduation

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Childhood Obesity

GDP Growth

Rental Protections

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Typical Wages for Working Women

Adults with Heart Disease

Patents

Average Commute

Incarceration Rate

Affordable Rental Shortage

Adults Who Smoke

Solar Energy Systems

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Low Birthweight

Student-Teacher Ratio

Voter Turnout – Women

Provisional Ballots Cast

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Electricity Prices

Voter Registration – Women

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Air Pollution

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Unemployment

Deficient Bridges

Voter Registrations Rejected

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Juvenile Detention Rate

Financial Well-Being

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Adults on Probation & Parole

Violent Crime

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Low-Wage Jobs

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Working Age Employment Rate

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Leed Certified Buildings

Power Grid Reliability

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Wage Gap

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Able-Bodied Seniors

Adults with Diabetes

Home Ownership

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Drug Deaths

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Bankruptcy Rate

Population Growth

Seniors in Good Health

Opioid Prescriptions

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Medical Debt in Collections

Black Uninsured Rate

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Property Crime

Notes on Methodology:

Metrics were compiled using publicly available data and are current as of Jan. 10th, 2023. Where possible, we favored U.S. government data over other sources for consistency and reliability.

Some debt- and voting-related indicators will be updated throughout the year as newer information becomes available.