Tennessee Has A New List Of Best And Worst Counties For Children

WPLN | By Tony Gonzalez

Published October 1, 2015 at 5:30 AM CDT

Child well-being, based on 11 measurements, now ranks all of Tennessee's 95 counties.

For the first time, all of Tennessee’s counties have been ranked against one another in terms of quality of life for children. That’s the new twist in the annual “Kids Count” study by the state’s Commission on Children and Youth.

Tennessee’s best county to grow up in is — no surprise — Williamson, with the state's lowest levels of poverty and child abuse and best score for reading, along with a high rank for youth employment.

Generally, Middle Tennessee ranked high on the 11 measurements, withsix counties in the top 10. Those include Sumner, Rutherford, Wilson, Dickson, and Montgomery.

The best urban area for kids was Knoxville, while Nashville ranked near the bottom, at87thof 95.

The number of Nashville children without health insurance and the frequency of school suspensions pushed the city down the list.

For the first time, all 95 counties were ranked based on 11 measurements of child well-being.

The county-by-county list follows a national ranking that kept Tennessee at 36th for child well-being for the second year in a row.

More: Detailed data on all counties

The commission said there are “still too many children in Tennessee whose opportunities are limited … In every county, concerted local efforts can reduce unnecessary deaths, child abuse, adolescent pregnancy, school suspensions and other negative outcomes.”

This map divides counties into five tiers for child well-being, with 1 being the best and 5 the worst.