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 – Women

Public School Teacher Salary

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Childhood Obesity

Voter Registration – Women

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Violent Crime

Unemployment

Food Insecurity

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Medical Debt in Collections

Adults with Heart Disease

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Student Loan Holders in Default

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Air Pollution

Cost of Living

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Homelessness

Black Voter Registration

Able-Bodied Seniors

Women Judges

Post-High School Educational Attainment

High School Graduation

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Patents

Youth Unemployment

Children in Poverty

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Student Loan Debt

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Adult Obesity

Black Uninsured Rate

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Opioid Prescriptions

Drug Deaths

Recidivism

Wage Gap

Property Crime

Foreclosures

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Deficient Bridges

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Infant Mortality

Low Birthweight

Rental Protections

Leed Certified Buildings

Rural Broadband Access

Median Household Income

Adults with Diabetes

Provisional Ballots Cast

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

GDP Growth

Food-Insecure Seniors

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Seniors Living in Poverty

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Underemployment

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Population Growth

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Voter Registrations Rejected

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Broadband Subscriptions

Electricity Prices

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Typical Wages for Working Women

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Home Ownership

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Adults Who Smoke

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Drinking Water Quality

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Poverty

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Low-Wage Jobs

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Felon Disenfranchisement

Solar Energy Systems

Average Commute

Black Incarceration Rate

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Volunteerism

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Uninsured Rate

Affordable Rental Shortage

Unbanked Households

Women Living in Poverty

Mental Health Providers

Road Quality

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Student-Teacher Ratio

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Financial Well-Being

Working Age Employment Rate

Seniors in Good Health

Green Jobs

Uninsured Children

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Women Holding Elected Office

Juvenile Detention Rate

Income Inequality

Adults on Probation & Parole

Bankruptcy Rate

Nursing Home Quality

Young Children Not in School

Black Voter Turnout

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Public Library Funding

Incarceration Rate

New Businesses

Power Grid Reliability

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

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.