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.

Student Loan Holders in Default

Infant Mortality

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Financial Well-Being

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Unemployment

Deficient Bridges

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Adults on Probation & Parole

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Seniors in Good Health

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Student-Teacher Ratio

Affordable Rental Shortage

Black Voter Turnout

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Adults with Heart Disease

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Adult Obesity

Childhood Obesity

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Adults with Diabetes

Property Crime

Uninsured Rate

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Food Insecurity

Homelessness

Wage Gap

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Mental Health Providers

Women Judges

Home Ownership

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Low-Wage Jobs

Average Commute

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Cost of Living

Working Age Employment Rate

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

GDP Growth

Food-Insecure Seniors

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Electricity Prices

Medical Debt in Collections

Rental Protections

Poverty

Black Voter Registration

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Drug Deaths

Median Household Income

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Provisional Ballots Cast

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Voter Turnout – Women

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Power Grid Reliability

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Public School Teacher Salary

Unbanked Households

Felon Disenfranchisement

Typical Wages for Working Women

Income Inequality

Foreclosures

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Leed Certified Buildings

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Volunteerism

Able-Bodied Seniors

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Broadband Subscriptions

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Women Living in Poverty

Road Quality

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Population Growth

Drinking Water Quality

Youth Unemployment

Uninsured Children

Voter Registrations Rejected

Air Pollution

High School Graduation

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

New Businesses

Seniors Living in Poverty

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Incarceration Rate

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Rural Broadband Access

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Opioid Prescriptions

Black Incarceration Rate

Patents

Green Jobs

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Women Holding Elected Office

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Adults Who Smoke

Violent Crime

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Underemployment

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Voter Registration – Women

Nursing Home Quality

Young Children Not in School

Black Uninsured Rate

Public Library Funding

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Juvenile Detention Rate

Low Birthweight

Recidivism

Bankruptcy Rate

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Solar Energy Systems

Children in Poverty

Student Loan Debt

Women’s Incarceration Rate

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.