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.

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Population Growth

Opioid Prescriptions

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Financial Well-Being

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Patents

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Broadband Subscriptions

Low Birthweight

Low-Wage Jobs

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Adults Who Smoke

Women Holding Elected Office

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Public Library Funding

Deficient Bridges

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Underemployment

Rural Broadband Access

Homelessness

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Poverty

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Student Loan Holders in Default

Food Insecurity

Road Quality

Seniors in Good Health

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Working Age Employment Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Income Inequality

Median Household Income

Wage Gap

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Cost of Living

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Drinking Water Quality

Unbanked Households

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Adults with Heart Disease

Bankruptcy Rate

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Adults with Diabetes

Adult Obesity

Black Incarceration Rate

Uninsured Children

Children in Poverty

Recidivism

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Green Jobs

GDP Growth

Volunteerism

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Black Uninsured Rate

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Voter Registration – Women

Adults on Probation & Parole

Home Ownership

Leed Certified Buildings

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Seniors Living in Poverty

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Foreclosures

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Infant Mortality

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Uninsured Rate

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Women Judges

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Average Commute

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Women Living in Poverty

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Young Children Not in School

Typical Wages for Working Women

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Voter Registrations Rejected

Voter Turnout – Women

Electricity Prices

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Student Loan Debt

Food-Insecure Seniors

Air Pollution

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Student-Teacher Ratio

Able-Bodied Seniors

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

New Businesses

Youth Unemployment

Affordable Rental Shortage

Incarceration Rate

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Rental Protections

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Black Voter Registration

Solar Energy Systems

Juvenile Detention Rate

Childhood Obesity

Violent Crime

Public School Teacher Salary

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Black Voter Turnout

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Felon Disenfranchisement

High School Graduation

Medical Debt in Collections

Mental Health Providers

Provisional Ballots Cast

Drug Deaths

Nursing Home Quality

Property Crime

Power Grid Reliability

Unemployment

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

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.