NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An insightful report from CNBC’s financial network has identified Tennessee as the state with the lowest quality of life across the United States.
The evaluation considered various elements including crime statistics, air purity, and healthcare standards coupled with the affordability and accessibility of childcare, the inclusivity of state regulations, and rights related to reproduction.
Tennessee’s ranking was adversely affected by legislation perceived as targeting the LGBTQ+ community, compounded by elevated crime rates, limited healthcare access, and insufficient worker rights protections.
“Republican leaders in Tennessee, spearheaded by Gov. Bill Lee, openly stand by a series of state laws seen as targeting the LGBTQ+ community, such as a “bathroom law” mandating transgender individuals to use restrooms that match their birth sex. Furthermore, the state prohibits local governments from enacting their own anti-discrimination policies. To emphasize their stance, Lee declared June as “Nuclear Family Month” earlier this year.
“The nuclear family, consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children, is God’s design for familial structure and has been the bedrock of society since the creation of the world,” the resolution states.
Its sponsors deliberately timed the observance to coincide with the month when Tennessee’s more than 300,000 LGBTQ+ people celebrate Pride.
Inclusiveness isn’t the only area where the Volunteer State falls short. Tennessee also has one of the highest violent crime rates in the nation, according to FBI statistics. And it has the third-highest rate of drug deaths, according to the United Health Foundation.”
Tennessee scored a total of 64 points out of a possible 290. The lone positive strength for the Volunteer State was air quality.
Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana and Texas make up the rest of the bottom five states. Nebraska was ranked the best state for quality of life by CNBC for the sixth year in a row.