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CNBC just ranked America’s worst place to live in 2026, and the No. 1 spot goes to Tennessee. But looking at the scorecard, it seems one person’s best life might be another’s worst nightmare.
Earning just 64 out of 290 points when it comes to quality of life (it might have gotten an F-minus if it weren’t for that fresh country air), the Volunteer State’s most serious threats to an ideal daily routine are strong families, designated bathrooms, and biology.
I recently moved from CNBC’s 17th best state (California, with its redwood forests, cinematic coastlines, and suffocating cost of living) to Tennessee because of cheaper gas, no state income tax, and Southern hospitality. How could the world capital of music and the birthplace of Mountain Dew rank below the state best known for entitled nepo babies fighting in Whole Foods’ parking lot and residents contracting typhus in the year of our Lord 2026?
Something seemed fishy about these alleged “quality of life” metrics. Among the rest of the top 10 worst states — in order of least to most terrible: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, and Texas — every state on the bad list was conservative.
“If Tennessee was really the worst state to live in, people wouldn’t be moving there in large numbers, which they are,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis posted on X.
He’s not wrong. But did I and nearly 200,000 other people who have relocated to Tennessee since 2020 make the biggest mistake of our lives? Placing a hold on my future Tecova cowboy boots in my online shopping cart, I dug into the details.
On the surface, healthcare, crime, air quality, and cost of living seem like valid benchmarks for a state’s livability. Who wouldn’t hope for unlimited sunny days, good health, reasonable housing and grocery prices, and few-to-no random drive-bys? But add in “inclusiveness of state laws and reproductive rights,” and red states such as Tennessee get slammed while Vermont wins CNBC’s best state in America six years in a row. (For the record, Vermont came in 47th for homelessness, a crisis it hopes to fix with $83 million in services. Guess you only need a sleeping bag to love the Maple State life.)
Tennessee got dinged for laws allegedly targeting its own 300,000-person LGBTQ community (who, notably, have been openly celebrating Pride since 1988), requiring trans-identifying people to use the bathroom matching their biological sex, barring the reversal of that law by individual businesses, and designating June “Nuclear Family Month.”
Louisiana’s reluctance to go along with affirmative action, Georgia’s protection of religious freedom, and Oklahoma’s ban on abortion earned each of these states a poor grade from the uncritical news outlet.
The report also cited Tennessee’s high violent crime stats, per FBI data, and its third-highest drug-related deaths in the nation, according to United Health Foundation reports. Take Democrat-run Memphis out of the equation, and Tennessee hits closer to the national average.
I have a hard time believing that most people base their location on their preferred bathroom. Remember when we used to have “unisex” toilets, AKA solo experiences with locking doors? How about non-gendered bathrooms? Life’s so good, we’re inventing problems to solutions we already had.
So what are people actually looking for when it comes to the ideal quality of life? Real people, I mean. The ones who go to work every day, raise families, worry about homework assignments and soccer practice, make dentist appointments, and have to mow the lawn before that storm rolls in.
Well, it turns out, most of us agree on this highly subjective measure of personal fulfillment. Are we financially secure, connected to a community, satisfied with work, and pretty darn healthy? Then we enjoy living in our place. When this is easier, life is sunnier. When states make it harder on us (not to name names, Shmalifornia), well, you get it.
“I moved from California to Tennessee in 2022 and it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made,” posted Colin Wright, evolutionary biologist and fellow at the Manhattan Institute. “I love it here.”
For me, the proof is in the pudding. Not only can I see a future in the so-called worst state in America, but I see so many other people thriving in Tennessee and other coastal alternatives, too. Transplants claim they’ve never nurtured stronger friendships, families flourish in safe neighborhoods and rigorous schools, and (thank you, Jesus) people complain when gas prices top $3 — a supersaver discount compared to most major cities.
And I can’t ignore the comments section. I admit this is a total generalization, but people from coastal cities often attempt to dare outsiders to try to afford elite life among the cosmopolitan tastemakers of the country. It’s like luring someone to a city based on clout and likes. On the flip side, those living in more affordable cities are less open to inviting New Yorkers and Californians (along with their perceived politics and highway-clogging cars) to invade their local towns.
The population influx changes these gems of America in lasting ways, and not always for the better. I know I’m part of the problem. Well, at least my car is when it comes to morning and evening rush hour traffic.
About that worst state status, six-year Tennessean and LA refugee Tomi Lahren posted, “It’s okay we are full, we actually don’t need any PR. We are happy if people … take their Lib sh*t somewhere else!”
Former Virginia state delegate Nick Freitas commented, “I totally agree … Tennessee is the worst!! Please tell all of your woke leftist friends what a terrible place it is and that they should never move here under any circumstances.”
One user revealed his inconvenient truth, posting, “I’m gay. Moved to a small town Tennessee in 2023 after living in big cities all my adult life. My closest friends are now straight men … and they treat me with more dignity and respect than I have ever received from the TQ+ crowd.”
With rankings like these, there’s still hope that the Volunteer State — even with its NashVegas bachelorettes — will remain one of the most iconic states in America, and never turn into Tennefornia.
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This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
