State desk
Ranks 1st of 50 on the Liberty Index, with no state income tax.
Where Tennessee stands on 12 policies, sourced from our 50-state trackers, with the latest headlines from 6 Tennessee outlets.
12 policies · each strip is all 50 states, grouped by rule · Tennessee in red. Free to cite with attribution.
No permit required to carry a handgun by eligible adults since 2021; optional permits remain available.
Tennessee is 1 of 29 states with this rule
15 · Shall-Issue Permit6 · Restrictive: Permit Required
Tennessee levies no individual income tax, so wage and salary income is untaxed at the state level. Eight states do the same.
Tennessee is 1 of 8 states with this rule
1 · Capital Gains Only15 · Single Flat Rate26 · Graduated Brackets
Tennessee charges 27.40 cents per gallon in state tax, ranking 32 of 50, which is near the middle nationally. With the federal 18.40 cents added, a driver pays 45.80 cents per gallon in tax. Diesel is taxed at 28.40 cents.
Tennessee is 1 of 16 states with this rule
17 · Among the Highest17 · Among the Lowest
Retains the death penalty.
Tennessee is 1 of 23 states with this rule
4 · Retains it, executions paused23 · Abolished
Right-to-work by statute since 1947; added to the state constitution in 2022.
Tennessee is 1 of 26 states with this rule
24 · No Right-to-Work Law
No state minimum wage law; the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered employers.
Tennessee is 1 of 5 states with this rule
30 · Above the Federal Floor12 · Matches the Federal Floor3 · Below Federal, So Federal Applies
Voters must show an accepted photo ID; without one, a provisional ballot counts only if they verify identity within days.
Tennessee is 1 of 10 states with this rule
14 · Photo ID Requested4 · Strict Non-Photo ID8 · ID Requested (No Photo)14 · No Document Required
Education Freedom Act ESA (2025) offers universal-eligibility scholarships statewide alongside older special-needs accounts.
Tennessee is 1 of 17 states with this rule
16 · Limited Program17 · No Private-Choice Program
NCSL lists Tennessee among states recognizing, by statute or court case, that there is no duty to retreat in any place where a person is lawfully present. Self-defense law here also shields a person from civil suit for damages.
Tennessee is 1 of 31 states with this rule
7 · Recognized by Court Decision12 · Not Listed by NCSL
Voters must cite a qualifying excuse, such as absence or illness, to vote absentee by mail.
Tennessee is 1 of 13 states with this rule
8 · All-Mail29 · No-Excuse Absentee
Tennessee's unemployment rate was 3.4% in September 2026, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from August. It ranks 14th lowest of 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), up from 15th. A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 3.5%. The U.S. rate was 4.2%.
Data retrieved from the BLS public API on October 30, 2026. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.
Appointed by the justices of the state supreme court to an eight-year term — the only state that selects its attorney general this way, and the longest term in the country. Voters were asked to switch to popular election in 2022 and declined.
Tennessee is the only state with this rule
43 · Elected by voters5 · Appointed by the governor1 · Chosen by the legislature