CNBC's tenth annual study once again puts all 50 states to the test, measuring them on more than 60 different metrics in ten key categories of competitiveness.

18. Tennessee

Published Thu, Jul 7 20164:40 PM EDTUpdated Mon, Jun 12 20172:21 PM EDT

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Source: George Kavallines

Category	Score	2016 Rank	2015 Rank
Workforce	219	22	8
Cost of Doing Business	234	10	12
Infrastructure	239	2 (Tie)	3
Economy	188	21	31 (Tie)
Quality of Life	103	46	50
Technology & Innovation	132	24	27
Education	79	40 (Tie)	42 (Tie)
Business Friendliness	114	6	8
Cost of Living	69	5	2
Access to Capital	34	17	18
Overall	1411	18	17

Economic Profile

Governor: Bill Haslam, Republican

Population: 6,600,299

GDP growth: 2 percent

Unemployment rate (May 2016): 4.1 percent

Top corporate tax rate: 6.5 percent

Top individual income tax rate: 6 percent on dividends and interest earnings

Gasoline tax: 39.80 cents/gallon

Bond rating/outlook: Aaa, stable

Major private employers: Covenant Health, FedEx

Economic profile sources: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federation of Tax Administrators, American Petroleum Institute, Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence