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.

Food-Insecure Seniors

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Infant Mortality

Childhood Obesity

Nursing Home Quality

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Patents

Medical Debt in Collections

Voter Registrations Rejected

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Income Inequality

Black Uninsured Rate

Black Voter Registration

Juvenile Detention Rate

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Road Quality

Adults Who Smoke

Unbanked Households

Adults with Diabetes

Able-Bodied Seniors

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Adults on Probation & Parole

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Broadband Subscriptions

Homelessness

Student Loan Debt

Voter Turnout – Women

Affordable Rental Shortage

Young Children Not in School

Poverty

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Working Age Employment Rate

Median Household Income

Uninsured Rate

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Electricity Prices

Black Voter Turnout

Power Grid Reliability

Underemployment

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Bankruptcy Rate

Women Judges

High School Graduation

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Deficient Bridges

Leed Certified Buildings

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Violent Crime

Volunteerism

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Green Jobs

Black Incarceration Rate

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Adults with Heart Disease

Youth Unemployment

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Financial Well-Being

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Seniors in Good Health

Public Library Funding

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Student-Teacher Ratio

Food Insecurity

Air Pollution

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Recidivism

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Wage Gap

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Home Ownership

Provisional Ballots Cast

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Children in Poverty

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

GDP Growth

Foreclosures

Mental Health Providers

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Solar Energy Systems

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Rental Protections

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Felon Disenfranchisement

Voter Registration – Women

Low-Wage Jobs

Student Loan Holders in Default

Uninsured Children

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Public School Teacher Salary

Drug Deaths

Opioid Prescriptions

New Businesses

Seniors Living in Poverty

Typical Wages for Working Women

Drinking Water Quality

Population Growth

Average Commute

Women Living in Poverty

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Unemployment

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Cost of Living

Adult Obesity

Rural Broadband Access

Low Birthweight

Women Holding Elected Office

Incarceration Rate

Property Crime

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

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.