Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Alabama instead of Tennessee, you would:
Economy
be 32.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Tennessee, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Alabama, that number is 2.3% as of 2025.
be 14.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Tennessee, 12.9% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Alabama, however, that number is 14.8% as of 2023.
make 18.2% less money
Tennessee has a GDP per capita of $60,177 as of 2024, while in Alabama, the GDP per capita is $49,225 as of 2024.
Safety
be 35.1% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Tennessee has a violent crime rate of 612 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 397 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 27.4% less likely to be a victim of property crime
Tennessee has a property crime rate of 2,301 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 1,671 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 24.0% less for a home
The median home value in Tennessee is $256,800 as of 2023, compared to $195,100 in Alabama as of 2023.
pay 14.2% less in rent
The median monthly gross rent in Tennessee is $1,122 as of 2023, while in Alabama, it is $963 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 12.8% less likely to smoke
In Tennessee, 19.5% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Alabama, that number is 17.0% as of 2022.
live in an area that is 41.9% less densely populated
Tennessee has a population density of 67.0 people per sq km as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 38.9 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 35.3% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Tennessee, 3.4% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 2.2% as of 2023.
be 32.1% more likely to be food insecure
In Tennessee, 10.9% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Alabama, that number is 14.4% as of 2021.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
