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.

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Mental Health Providers

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Juvenile Detention Rate

Broadband Subscriptions

Voter Registration – Women

Adults with Diabetes

Rental Protections

Median Household Income

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Voter Registration

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Adults with Heart Disease

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Children in Poverty

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Patents

Low-Wage Jobs

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Provisional Ballots Cast

Poverty

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Childhood Obesity

Infant Mortality

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Incarceration Rate

Black Uninsured Rate

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Medical Debt in Collections

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Student Loan Debt

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Public Library Funding

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Solar Energy Systems

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Women Judges

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Young Children Not in School

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Population Growth

Uninsured Rate

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Working Age Employment Rate

Student-Teacher Ratio

Property Crime

Rural Broadband Access

Cost of Living

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Voter Registrations Rejected

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Power Grid Reliability

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Affordable Rental Shortage

Electricity Prices

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Student Loan Holders in Default

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Public School Teacher Salary

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Uninsured Children

Adult Obesity

Homelessness

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Volunteerism

Food-Insecure Seniors

Drug Deaths

Wage Gap

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Youth Unemployment

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Unbanked Households

Violent Crime

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Recidivism

Unemployment

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Bankruptcy Rate

Voter Turnout – Women

High School Graduation

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Typical Wages for Working Women

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Black Incarceration Rate

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Adults Who Smoke

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Financial Well-Being

Air Pollution

Leed Certified Buildings

Seniors Living in Poverty

Green Jobs

Women Holding Elected Office

Nursing Home Quality

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Felon Disenfranchisement

Food Insecurity

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Average Commute

Adults on Probation & Parole

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Seniors in Good Health

Women’s Uninsured Rate

New Businesses

Underemployment

Able-Bodied Seniors

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Low Birthweight

Opioid Prescriptions

Black Voter Turnout

Income Inequality

Women Living in Poverty

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Gigabyte Internet Availability

GDP Growth

Foreclosures

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Drinking Water Quality

Deficient Bridges

Road Quality

Home Ownership

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.