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 Registrations Rejected

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Adults Who Smoke

Women Holding Elected Office

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Children in Poverty

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Nursing Home Quality

Mental Health Providers

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Childhood Obesity

Median Household Income

Drinking Water Quality

Infant Mortality

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Air Pollution

Student Loan Debt

Opioid Prescriptions

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Adults with Heart Disease

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Adults on Probation & Parole

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Bankruptcy Rate

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Road Quality

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Seniors in Good Health

Deficient Bridges

Medical Debt in Collections

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Recidivism

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Rental Protections

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Food-Insecure Seniors

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Felon Disenfranchisement

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Public Library Funding

Public School Teacher Salary

Income Inequality

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Working Age Employment Rate

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Provisional Ballots Cast

Black Voter Registration

GDP Growth

Rural Broadband Access

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Property Crime

High School Graduation

Homelessness

Low Birthweight

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Electricity Prices

Seniors Living in Poverty

Women Living in Poverty

Low-Wage Jobs

Youth Unemployment

Drug Deaths

Black Voter Turnout

Student-Teacher Ratio

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Juvenile Detention Rate

Poverty

Student Loan Holders in Default

Women Judges

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Leed Certified Buildings

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Incarceration Rate

Wage Gap

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Home Ownership

Underemployment

Adults with Diabetes

Broadband Subscriptions

Volunteerism

Solar Energy Systems

Green Jobs

Young Children Not in School

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Unemployment

Power Grid Reliability

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Food Insecurity

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Typical Wages for Working Women

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Patents

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Uninsured Children

Uninsured Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Violent Crime

Population Growth

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Unbanked Households

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Foreclosures

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Black Uninsured Rate

Average Commute

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Affordable Rental Shortage

Black Incarceration Rate

Able-Bodied Seniors

Cost of Living

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

New Businesses

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Voter Registration – Women

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Adult Obesity

Voter Turnout – Women

Financial Well-Being

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

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.