The folks in Tennessee are angry, but it’s not at each other or anything to do with their internal policies. It was recently ranked last in the nation for quality of life in a major nationwide study, even as the state finished highly for business competitiveness. This ranking highlights a widening gap between Tennessee’s business-friendly economy and residents’ day-to-day quality of life, prompting some folks to cry foul.
CNBC ranked Tennessee last in the nation for quality of life in its 2026 America’s Top States for Business study, while it placed ninth for business competitiveness.
Tennessee posted a quality of life score of 64 out of 290 points, an F grade, the lowest of any state. they cited the state’s high violent crime rate, the nation’s third-highest rate of drug deaths, and laws including a restroom-access requirement based on sex at birth and a ban preventing localities from passing their own anti-discrimination ordinances. The study also noted Gov. Bill Lee’s resolution designating June as “Nuclear Family Month.” Tennessee still ranked 9th overall in the full business competitiveness study.
The votes and the skewed method used to determine its answers led many in the post to question the purpose of the ranking, and most folks were happy with the vote and wanted liberals to stay out of town.
“Everyone who lives in these states agrees with this poll, and understands its target audience. Democrat CNBC viewers, please remain in your blue states and do not move to these red states for any reason whatsoever. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
“Yes, the worst places to live are where everyone is moving and the best places to live are actually the left-wing socialist states everyone is moving out of or something.”
“I agree with this list. Do not move here. Please. Stay in your wonderfully run and safe, big blue cities and states. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Tennessee topped a list that also included Texas, Indiana, Louisiana and Georgia, while Arkansas ranked lowest overall among the bottom 10 despite scoring slightly higher on quality-of-life measures than them.
