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.

Hispanic/Latino Incarceration Rate

Drinking Water Quality

Rural Broadband Access

Public School Teacher Salary

Seniors (65+) Voter Turnout

Electricity Prices

Adults with Diabetes

Highway Traffic Fatalities

Young Children Not in School

Volunteerism

Black Voter Turnout

Medical Debt in Collections for Communities of Color

Youth (18-24) Voter Registration

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate in Communities of Color

Women Judges

Juvenile Detention Rate

Low-Income Uninsured Rate

Women Holding Elected Office

Typical Wages for Workers with Highschool Education

Nursing Home Quality

Patents

Voter Turnout – Women

Felon Disenfranchisement

Adults on Probation & Parole

Income Inequality

Affordable Rental Shortage

Black Voter Registration

GDP Growth

Violent Crime

Solar Energy Systems

Food Insecurity

Bankruptcy Rate

Low-Wage Jobs

Drug Deaths

Voter Turnout (Midterm Election)

Hispanic/Latino Voter Turnout

Children’s Medicaid/Chip Participation Rate

Provisional Ballots Cast

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Mental Health Providers

Low-Income Working Families with Kids

Unbanked Households

Women Living in Poverty

Women Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Uninsured Rate

Youth Unemployment

Cost-Burdened Extremely Low-Income Renters

Green Jobs

Median Household Income

Recidivism

Student Loan Debt

Cost-Burdened Homeowners

Seniors Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Student Loan Holders in Default

Voter Registration (Presidential Election)

Poverty

New Businesses

Commuters Taking Transit to Work

Typical Wages for Black Workers

Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Road Quality

Incarceration Rate

Black Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Air Pollution

Childhood Obesity

Broadband Access (25 MBPS)

Able-Bodied Seniors

Adults with Heart Disease

Broadband Subscriptions

Representation of People of Color in Elected Office

Black Uninsured Rate

Voter Turnout (Presidential Election)

Foreclosures

Property Crime

Black Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Youth (18-24) Voter Turnout

Adults Without a High School Diploma

Auto Loan Delinquency Rate

Home Ownership

Rental Protections

Cost of Childcare (Infants)

Hispanic/Latino Voter Registration

Population Growth

Black Incarceration Rate

Average Commute

Hispanic/Latino Fourth-Grade Reading Proficiency

Hispanic/Latino Uninsured Rate

Extremely Low-Income Renters

High School Graduation

Deficient Bridges

Leed Certified Buildings

Underemployment

Seniors (65+) Voter Registration

Homelessness

Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Financial Well-Being

Children Receiving Public Assistance

Voter Registration (Midterm Election)

Cost of Living

Hispanic/Latino Adults Avoiding Care Due to Cost

Children in Food-Insecure Households

Seniors Living in Poverty

Unemployment

Typical Wages for Working Women

Wage Gap

Women’s Uninsured Rate

Typical Wages for Hispanic Workers

Energy Expenditures Per Capita

Children in Poverty

Gigabyte Internet Availability

Low Birthweight

Voter Registrations Rejected

Public Library Funding

Student Loan Holders in Default in Communities of Color

Student-Teacher Ratio

Adults Who Smoke

Uninsured Children

Black Post-High School Educational Attainment

Labor Force Participation Gender Gap

Power Grid Reliability

Hispanic/Latino Post-High School Educational Attainment

Children in Households with High Housing Cost Burden

Food-Insecure Seniors

Typical Wages for Workers with Bachelors Education or Higher

Women’s Incarceration Rate

Post-High School Educational Attainment

Adult Obesity

Voter Registration – Women

Opioid Prescriptions

Medical Debt in Collections

Infant Mortality

Households without Computers or Smartphones

Seniors in Good Health

Working Age Employment Rate

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.