TN ranked 35th in well-being of children, overall state economy

Tennessee ranks 35^th among states both in caring for children and in its overall state economy, according to separate studies making the media reporting circuit today. The timing of the releases of the reports is surely coincidental; but just maybe there’s some linkage between the state economy and child well-being?

Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual “Kids Count” survey of states has Tennessee moving up from 38^th to 35^th in its 2017 review – the state’s best score ever. A rundown on the statistics involved in the report may be viewed by clicking on this link:  kidscount

An excerpt from the Tennessean’s report:

The Tennessee Promise scholarship program, especially, is attributed to helping reduce the number of kids age 16 to 19 not in school or not working, a key economic indicator of child welfare on the report, according to Linda O’Neal, executive director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.

“The indicator where the state made the most progress — teens not in school and not working — there were 35,000 in that status in Tennessee in 2014 and 24,000 in 2015,” O’Neal said. “That year (2015) was when Tennessee Promise came into effect.”

WalletHub, a website specializing in crunching financial data, has the overall rating of Tennessee’s economy HERE. As observed by The Nashville Business Journal:

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia, looking at 27 indicators of economic performance and strength. The data it examined ranged from GDP growth to startup activity, according to the report.

Tennessee, with an index score of 46.4 out of 100, ranked 17th in terms of economic health and 44th for innovation potential. The state placed in the 29th spot in terms of economic activity. Those three categories were looked at to determine states’ overall ranking (35^th) on the study.

The states with the best economies are Washington, California and Utah. Those with the worst economies are West Virginia, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the report.