Tennessee
State Government
Governor
Bill Lee (R)
State Senate
6
Democrats,
27
Republicans
State House
24
Democrats,
75
Republicans
Economic well-being - Tennessee
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.156
Minimum wage
7.25
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.314
Poverty rate
13.5%
Unemployment rate
3.6
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
9.7
Poverty by demographic - Tennessee
Child poverty rate
0.19
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
4000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
157000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
104000
Senior poverty rate
12.2 %
Women in poverty
3,611,301
The Associated Press, January 2, 2012: Volunteers at Chattanooga school helping another
"Tracey Korynas, PTA president at East Lake, said some parents want to help, but don't have transportation. She says a high poverty level may also hamper volunteers. More than 95 percent of students at East Lake are impoverished, according to the Tennessee Report Card. Meanwhile, at Ganns, the number of impoverished children is about 50 percent."
Chattanooga Times Free Press, December 13, 2011: Area gets grants to boost college access
Director Cynthia Long said the center primarily exists to encourage low-income, first-generation students to attend college. She said her employees regularly visit those counties, providing services to homeless students, high school dropouts and adults who never attended college. 'We're looking for the population that often gets overlooked,' she said."
Chattanooga Times Free Press, December 12, 2011: Budget cuts threaten Pell grants
"'Especially in tight budget times, we have to set priorities, and Pell grants to help low-income students pay for college are a priority for me,' said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. 'But the growth of Pell grants by 76 percent over the last decade obviously can't continue at a time when Washington is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends.'"
Knoxville News-Sentinel, November 17, 2011: 3 of 5 Tennesseans want more spent on pre-k
"A pair of Republican lawmakers is sponsoring a bill that would give low-income parents in the state's four biggest counties vouchers for private school tuition. Giving teachers bonuses to work in poor schools received mixed reviews. About 50 percent of Democrats favored the idea, but Republicans and Independents did not."
The Tennessean, October 22, 2011: Schools gear for fight over TN voucher bill
"The Coalition of Large School Systems, a group that represents schools in Tennessee's four biggest cities, is taking on legislation that would give low-income families in Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Memphis thousands of dollars a year to attend private schools."
Memphis Flyer, October 21, 2011: Closing the Gap
"Only 4 percent of Memphis City Schools seniors are ready for college, based on scoring at least 19 on the ACT, the college entrance exam taken by district seniors. In other words, of 6,774 seniors, only 271 are college ready."