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 Registration – Women

Low Birthweight

Women Living in Poverty

Voter Registrations Rejected

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Women Judges

Rural Broadband Access

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Mental Health Providers

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Adults on Probation & Parole

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Adults with Heart Disease

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Black Voter Turnout

Underemployment

High School Graduation

Recidivism

Power Grid Reliability

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Infant Mortality

Violent Crime

Public School Teacher Salary

Homelessness

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Food Insecurity

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Air Pollution

Foreclosures

Young Children Not in School

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Felon Disenfranchisement

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Poverty

Property Crime

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Black Voter Registration

Children in Poverty

Population Growth

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Able-Bodied Seniors

Deficient Bridges

Broadband Subscriptions

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Childhood Obesity

Drinking Water Quality

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Medical Debt in Collections

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Uninsured Rate

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Solar Energy Systems

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Patents

Wage Gap

Food-Insecure Seniors

Student Loan Holders in Default

Opioid Prescriptions

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Public Library Funding

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Bankruptcy Rate

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Financial Well-Being

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Electricity Prices

Drug Deaths

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Unbanked Households

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Adults with Diabetes

Student-Teacher Ratio

Incarceration Rate

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Income Inequality

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Cost of Living

Volunteerism

Average Commute

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Uninsured Children

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Seniors Living in Poverty

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Seniors in Good Health

Affordable Rental Shortage

Nursing Home Quality

Leed Certified Buildings

Working Age Employment Rate

Juvenile Detention Rate

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Voter Turnout – Women

Low-Wage Jobs

Road Quality

Black Incarceration Rate

Black Uninsured Rate

Unemployment

GDP Growth

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Adult Obesity

Women Holding Elected Office

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Rental Protections

Provisional Ballots Cast

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Median Household Income

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

New Businesses

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Home Ownership

Typical Wages for Working Women

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Student Loan Debt

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Youth Unemployment

Adults Who Smoke

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Green Jobs

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.