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.

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Electricity Prices

Leed Certified Buildings

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Opioid Prescriptions

Seniors in Good Health

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Voter Registration

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Black Uninsured Rate

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Adults with Heart Disease

Working Age Employment Rate

Volunteerism

Drinking Water Quality

Black Voter Turnout

Uninsured Rate

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Low Birthweight

Poverty

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Recidivism

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Average Commute

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Voter Registrations Rejected

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Deficient Bridges

Public Library Funding

Homelessness

Mental Health Providers

Patents

Property Crime

Affordable Rental Shortage

Medical Debt in Collections

Green Jobs

Bankruptcy Rate

Wage Gap

Median Household Income

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Drug Deaths

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Power Grid Reliability

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Student-Teacher Ratio

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Food Insecurity

Women Living in Poverty

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Nursing Home Quality

Young Children Not in School

Rental Protections

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Public School Teacher Salary

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Population Growth

Solar Energy Systems

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Adult Obesity

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Rural Broadband Access

Uninsured Children

Youth Unemployment

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Violent Crime

Underemployment

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Black Incarceration Rate

Childhood Obesity

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Women Judges

Typical Wages for Working Women

Juvenile Detention Rate

Unemployment

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Cost of Living

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

High School Graduation

Student Loan Holders in Default

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Infant Mortality

Children in Poverty

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Voter Turnout – Women

Food-Insecure Seniors

Unbanked Households

Voter Registration – Women

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Seniors Living in Poverty

Adults with Diabetes

Income Inequality

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Provisional Ballots Cast

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Low-Wage Jobs

Able-Bodied Seniors

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Air Pollution

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Broadband Subscriptions

Women Holding Elected Office

Foreclosures

Adults on Probation & Parole

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Adults Who Smoke

Financial Well-Being

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Road Quality

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Felon Disenfranchisement

Incarceration Rate

New Businesses

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Home Ownership

GDP Growth

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Student Loan Debt

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

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.