Painted guitars hang to dry after being lacquered at the Gibson Guitar Corp. factory in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jeff Adkins | Bloomberg | Getty Images
| Category | Score | 2018 Rank | 2017 Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce | 229 | 27 | 19 | B- |
| Infrastructure | 259 | 5 | 2 | A- |
| Cost of Doing Business | 223 | 15 | 6 | A- |
| Economy | 232 | 7 | 5 | A |
| Quality of Life | 96 | 47 | 42 (Tie) | F |
| Technology & Innovation | 109 | 30 | 30 | C |
| Education | 88 | 33 | 37 | D+ |
| Business Friendliness | 112 | 8 | 4 (Tie) | B+ |
| Access to Capital | 60 | 23 | 23 | C+ |
| Cost of Living | 46 | 5 | 7 | A |
| [[link#105237323#Overall]] | 1454 | 13 | [[link#104395430#9]] | - |
Economic Profile
Governor: Bill Haslam, Republican
Population: 6,715,984
GDP growth (Q4 2017): 3.0 percent
Unemployment rate (May 2018): 3.5 percent
Top corporate tax rate: 6.5 percent
Top individual income tax rate: 3 percent
Gasoline tax: 25.40 cents/gallon
Bond rating (Moody's/S&P): Aaa, stable/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 (excluding 18.40 cent/gallon federal tax), Moody's Investor Service, S&P Global Market Intelligence
