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State Briefs

TDEC announces consolidation, renaming of divisions

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has consolidated the Division of Remediation and Division of Solid Waste Management into the new Division of Land Protection (DLP). The Division of Remediation and Division of Solid Waste will now be referred to as the Division of Land...

TDOE unveils TCAP assessment scores

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has released the state-level overview and the full 2025-26 TCAP assessment data to the public. These results include English Language Arts, mathematics, and social students but not science, which is in a standard-setting year. According to the results, 42...

Tennessee ranks sixth in nation for heart disease risk

Health officials are shining a light on heart disease with Tennessee ranking as the state with the sixth highest heart disease mortality rate. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found heart disease is the leading contributing factor for death in most Americans and...

Unemployment2026

Tennessee May 2026 unemployment remains steady

Tennessee’s May unemployment rate remained unchanged from 3.6% for the fourth consecutive month. Data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) indicates the rate was also above the 3.5% rate recorded in May 2025. Tennessee’s unemployment rate remains below the...

Tennessee Department of Revenue

Tennessee May 2026 revenues $227.2M above estimates

Tennessee revenues exceeded budgeted estimates for the month of May.  

Department of Finance and Administration Commissioner Jim Bryson reported that total May tax revenues were $1.9 billion, $227.2 million more than the budgeted estimate and $244.7 million more than May 2025. The total tax growth...

Tennessee Highway Patrol vehicle

THP announces reaccreditation

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is proud to announce that the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) has been awarded its Fifth Accreditation Award by the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police. This accreditation is granted for a three‑year period, extending through June 2030...

Tennessee becomes first state in nation with nuclear fusion framework

Tennessee has become the first state in the nation with its own regulatory framework for nuclear fusion machines. The technology-neutral approach to fusion regulation taps into more than 60 years of resources and experience from its involvement as a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Agreement...

Tennessee ranks 44 out of 51 on average hourly earnings

Tennessee ranks among the lowest-earning states in the nation, according to new  data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee ranks 44 out of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., with an average hourly wage of $31.79 and an average working week of 34.7 hours, meaning the average...

TSP

Tennessee dedicates Trail of Tears State Park

Cherokee Trail of Tears State Park preserves and interprets the story of the Cherokee removal across the state in the 1830s. Located at the confluence of the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers near the historic Blythe Ferry Crossing, the park was formerly the county’s Cherokee Removal Memorial Park and...

Tennessee Population Estimates 2025

New population estimates for state-shared revenues to be published July 1

The first estimates under the state’s new annual population estimate program will be published on July 1.  

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) will publish the figures, which will be based on the estimated population as of July 1, 2025, derived from Vintage 2025...

A home under construction

Tennessee home building permits down for 2025

Housing permits issued by local governments in Tennessee were down 3.3% between 2024 and 2025, according to new data released by the Tennessee State Data Center (TNSDC). Pulling information from the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey, TNSDC said permits for single-family homes only declined 1.8...

Unemployment

Tennessee's April 2026 unemployment rate unchanged

Tennessee's unemployment held steady at 3.6% in April 2026, the third month the state has retained the rate. While the unemployment rate was unchanged since February 2026, the year-over-year unemployment rate increased by 0.1%. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) said nonfarm...