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.

Adult Obesity

Drug Deaths

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Typical Wages for Working Women

Electricity Prices

Population Growth

Affordable Rental Shortage

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Provisional Ballots Cast

Mental Health Providers

Black Uninsured Rate

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Voter Registrations Rejected

Incarceration Rate

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Uninsured Rate

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Patents

Felon Disenfranchisement

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Medical Debt in Collections

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Property Crime

Rental Protections

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Low Birthweight

Voter Registration – Women

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Low-Wage Jobs

Drinking Water Quality

Able-Bodied Seniors

Women Judges

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Uninsured Children

Women Holding Elected Office

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Leed Certified Buildings

Adults on Probation & Parole

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Student Loan Debt

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Violent Crime

Poverty

Voter Turnout – Women

Cost of Living

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Road Quality

Average Commute

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Air Pollution

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Adults with Diabetes

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Foreclosures

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Student-Teacher Ratio

Public Library Funding

Adults Who Smoke

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Recidivism

New Businesses

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Opioid Prescriptions

GDP Growth

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Median Household Income

Seniors in Good Health

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Food Insecurity

Bankruptcy Rate

Deficient Bridges

Unbanked Households

Women Living in Poverty

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Wage Gap

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Unemployment

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Rural Broadband Access

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Underemployment

Young Children Not in School

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Adults with Heart Disease

Children in Poverty

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Seniors Living in Poverty

Childhood Obesity

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Broadband Subscriptions

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Nursing Home Quality

Youth Unemployment

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Volunteerism

Juvenile Detention Rate

Black Voter Registration

Black Incarceration Rate

Student Loan Holders in Default

Power Grid Reliability

Financial Well-Being

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Food-Insecure Seniors

Solar Energy Systems

Income Inequality

Green Jobs

Working Age Employment Rate

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Infant Mortality

Home Ownership

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Voter Turnout

Homelessness

High School Graduation

Public School Teacher Salary

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

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.