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.

Uninsured Rate

Solar Energy Systems

Adults with Diabetes

Juvenile Detention Rate

Violent Crime

Opioid Prescriptions

Bankruptcy Rate

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Medical Debt in Collections

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Volunteerism

Rural Broadband Access

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Black Voter Registration

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Adults Who Smoke

Unemployment

Poverty

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Adult Obesity

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Mental Health Providers

Power Grid Reliability

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Home Ownership

Women Holding Elected Office

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Affordable Rental Shortage

Voter Registration – Women

Wage Gap

Public School Teacher Salary

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Low Birthweight

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Underemployment

Nursing Home Quality

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Student Loan Holders in Default

Broadband Subscriptions

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Women Living in Poverty

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Unbanked Households

Financial Well-Being

Green Jobs

Drinking Water Quality

Children in Poverty

Drug Deaths

Rental Protections

Adults on Probation & Parole

Incarceration Rate

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Electricity Prices

Black Uninsured Rate

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Leed Certified Buildings

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Typical Wages for Working Women

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Homelessness

Working Age Employment Rate

High School Graduation

Provisional Ballots Cast

Deficient Bridges

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Seniors in Good Health

Black Incarceration Rate

Average Commute

Patents

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Student Loan Debt

Uninsured Children

Youth Unemployment

Air Pollution

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Student-Teacher Ratio

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Young Children Not in School

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Adults with Heart Disease

Property Crime

Public Library Funding

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Food-Insecure Seniors

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Low-Wage Jobs

Voter Turnout – Women

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Able-Bodied Seniors

Food Insecurity

New Businesses

Seniors Living in Poverty

Black Voter Turnout

Recidivism

GDP Growth

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Foreclosures

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Infant Mortality

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Population Growth

Income Inequality

Childhood Obesity

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Cost of Living

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Median Household Income

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Women Judges

Felon Disenfranchisement

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Voter Registrations Rejected

Road Quality

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

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.