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 in Communities of Color

Road Quality

Deficient Bridges

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Incarceration Rate

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Adults on Probation & Parole

Uninsured Children

Green Jobs

Women Holding Elected Office

Juvenile Detention Rate

Bankruptcy Rate

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Children in Poverty

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Adults with Diabetes

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Electricity Prices

Opioid Prescriptions

New Businesses

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Medical Debt in Collections

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Low-Wage Jobs

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Wage Gap

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Homelessness

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Women Living in Poverty

Unbanked Households

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Home Ownership

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Black Voter Registration

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Black Uninsured Rate

Food Insecurity

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Volunteerism

GDP Growth

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Air Pollution

Broadband Subscriptions

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Poverty

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Drinking Water Quality

Young Children Not in School

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Seniors Living in Poverty

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Power Grid Reliability

Median Household Income

Nursing Home Quality

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Working Age Employment Rate

Adult Obesity

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Seniors in Good Health

Unemployment

Provisional Ballots Cast

Average Commute

Felon Disenfranchisement

Adults with Heart Disease

Public Library Funding

Youth Unemployment

Low Birthweight

Student-Teacher Ratio

Drug Deaths

Rural Broadband Access

Patents

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Adults Who Smoke

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Recidivism

Solar Energy Systems

Childhood Obesity

Financial Well-Being

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Women Judges

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Voter Turnout

Violent Crime

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Uninsured Rate

Property Crime

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Public School Teacher Salary

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Voter Turnout – Women

Mental Health Providers

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Typical Wages for Working Women

Food-Insecure Seniors

Cost of Living

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Income Inequality

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Voter Registrations Rejected

Population Growth

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Affordable Rental Shortage

Rental Protections

Able-Bodied Seniors

Student Loan Holders in Default

Underemployment

Leed Certified Buildings

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Voter Registration – Women

Infant Mortality

High School Graduation

Black Incarceration Rate

Foreclosures

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Student Loan Debt

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.