CNBC released a ranking of the ten worst states to live in within the United States.

Only Republican-led states — ‘red states’ — are on the list.

“CNBC’s bottom 10 states for quality of life, from lowest-scoring upward, were:”

• Tennessee (64 out of 290)
• Texas (78)
• Indiana (82)
• Louisiana (89)
• Georgia (89)
• Utah (95)
• Missouri (98)
• Alabama (99)
• Oklahoma (103)
• Arkansas (103)

Oh, my.

I’m not a fan of these lists. I don’t think that the best place or the worst is the same for all of us. Too many variables are embedded in our experiences for such a monolithic list to be presented. This list addresses a specific situation; another list previously issued by CNBC had several of these states listed as one of the best places for business.

I still read these articles, though. I read this one somewhat gleefully because ‘red states’ in the Trump era are often espousing values that are opposite of mine.

Then, even more fun, I read the reactions.

‘Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, called the ranking “nonsense” in a post on X.

‘“If Tennessee was really the worst state to live in people wouldn’t be moving there in large numbers, which they are,” DeSantis wrote.’

I researched and confirmed, Gen X and Millennials are moving to Tennessee in great numbers in 2026. The irony of it is that they’re going to Tennessee to work in the healthcare industry, but Tennessee is ranked very low for their healthcare system.

This is a fragile, short-term model for growth. Tennessee has an aging population. They need a lot of care; hence the growth in that industry.

But, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year by the Republican-controlled Congress and signed into bill by Donald Trump let ACA premium subsidies expire. That triggered an average premium increase of 32.6% for Tennessee Marketplace enrollees. That high increase is expected to drive up the number of uninsured people, placing a huge strain on Tennessee’s burgeoning healthcare industry.

Ironically, too, because Tennessee faces a shortage of healthcare workers, wages for them are being forced upward, causing more strain on the system. Additionally, Tennessee is one of the states being hardest hit by the ongoing rural hospital crises.

It’s a classic FAFO situation. As with many of these developing matters, we’ll need to wait a year or two to see what happens next in Tennessee.