The greatest health strengths and challenges in Tennessee

The recently released “America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report” uncovered several health strengths and challenges in Tennessee.

Jan. 5, 2023

Tennessee is ranked 44th in the country for overall health –which is the same ranking it received in 2019¹ – according to America’s Health Rankings 2022 Annual Report. Below is a summary of the positive and negative factors that contributed to this ranking.²

Tennessee health strengths

Low prevalence of excessive drinking
High supply of primary care providers
Low percentage of households experiencing severe housing problems
12% increase in high-speed internet from 81% to 90.8% of households between 2016 and 2021

Tennessee health challenges

High premature death rate
High prevalence of multiple chronic conditions
High prevalence of cigarette smoking
44% increase in drug deaths from 30.6 to 44.1 deaths per 100,000 population between 2019 and 2020
31% increase in frequent mental distress from 13.7% to 18% of adults between 2017 and 2021

What this means for employers

Employers who do business or have employees living in the state of Tennessee may want to consider programs or benefits that can help support their employee population and guide them to better health decisions.

Learn more about the factors impacting the health of Tennessee.

The real people behind these numbers are what make the work ahead so critically important. Despite the challenges ahead, I remain optimistic that the health system can rise to the moment to address long-standing disparities and improve the health and well-being of all Americans, for this generation and the next.

— Patricia L. Lewis, Chief Sustainability Officer at UnitedHealth Group

View the Tennessee state summary (pdf)

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