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.

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Low-Wage Jobs

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Income Inequality

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Uninsured Children

Public Library Funding

Voter Turnout – Women

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Typical Wages for Working Women

Uninsured Rate

Cost of Living

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Student-Teacher Ratio

Adult Obesity

Households without Computers or Smartphones

New Businesses

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Mental Health Providers

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Road Quality

Voter Registration – Women

Incarceration Rate

Women Living in Poverty

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Unemployment

Homelessness

Childhood Obesity

GDP Growth

Nursing Home Quality

Bankruptcy Rate

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Broadband Subscriptions

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Black Uninsured Rate

Young Children Not in School

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Black Voter Turnout

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Drinking Water Quality

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Adults Who Smoke

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Adults on Probation & Parole

Seniors Living in Poverty

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Adults with Heart Disease

Home Ownership

Provisional Ballots Cast

Average Commute

Women Judges

Extremely Low-Income Renters

Patents

Student Loan Holders in Default

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Unbanked Households

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Felon Disenfranchisement

Able-Bodied Seniors

Food Insecurity

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Power Grid Reliability

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Infant Mortality

Population Growth

Food-Insecure Seniors

Voter Registrations Rejected

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Rural Broadband Access

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Foreclosures

Violent Crime

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Electricity Prices

Working Age Employment Rate

Black Incarceration Rate

Poverty

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Seniors in Good Health

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Property Crime

Women Holding Elected Office

Adults with Diabetes

Financial Well-Being

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Underemployment

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Medical Debt in Collections

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Youth Unemployment

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Recidivism

Low Birthweight

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Volunteerism

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Solar Energy Systems

Green Jobs

Affordable Rental Shortage

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Children in Poverty

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Deficient Bridges

Black Voter Registration

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Median Household Income

Public School Teacher Salary

Drug Deaths

Wage Gap

Air Pollution

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Opioid Prescriptions

High School Graduation

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Leed Certified Buildings

Rental Protections

Student Loan Debt

Juvenile Detention Rate

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

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.