CNBC Ranks Tennessee Worst State to Live in 2026 With 64 of 290 Points
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 11
CNBC Ranks Tennessee Worst State to Live in 2026 With 64 of 290 Points
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 11
Summary
Tennessee finished last in CNBC’s 2026 quality-of-life ranking, scoring 64 out of 290 and landing behind Texas at 78 and Indiana at 82.
CNBC gave quality of life a bigger role in its Top States for Business study this year—11.6% of the total score—using data on crime, health care, childcare, inclusiveness and reproductive rights.
Tennessee’s weakest areas were inclusiveness, crime and worker protections; CNBC cited state laws targeting LGBTQ+ people, one of the nation’s highest violent-crime rates and the third-highest drug death rate.
Texas, Indiana, Louisiana and Georgia also received failing grades, with Texas hurt by a 16.7% uninsured rate and Indiana by the nation’s weakest childcare availability.
The ranking reflects a broader site-selection shift as employers pushing office returns put more weight on whether workers will want to live where companies expand.