Tennessee ranks among worst states for workers in new Oxfam analysis

Tennessee ranks among the nation's worst states for workers, according to Oxfam's 2026 Best States to Work Index.

Oxfam, a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice, annually releases a ranking of the best states to work

in based on factors such as worker protections, worker rights and workers' compensation. The list included all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The most recent edition of the annual analysis found Tennessee to be among the worst states to work in, not much different from its ranking the year before.

Here's where Tennessee ranked, and how it compared to other states.

Is Tennessee a good state to work in?

According to the analysis, Tennessee is not considered a strong state for workers, and its overall score declined over the past

year.

Tennessee ranked No. 49 out of 52 jurisdictions in both 2025 and 2026 on Oxfam's Best States to Work Index. However, the state's overall score fell from 12.14 in 2025 to 8.64 in 2026, placing it among just five jurisdictions with scores below 10.

Where Tennessee ranks: Why Tennessee keeps ranking among the worst states to live in

In 2026, Tennessee received a wage score of 9.2 and scores of 8.33 in both worker protections and workers' rights to organize. While the wage score improved from 7.43 in 2025, the other two categories declined. The worker protections score dropped from 19.05, while the workers' rights-to-organize score fell from 10.

Tennessee ranked No. 41 for working women, No. 46 for wages, No. 48 for worker protections and No. 43 for workers' rights to organize.

Best states to work in

California moved into the top spot after ranking second behind Washington, D.C., in 2025.

The state's wage score increased from 76.13 in 2025 to 77.32 in 2026. Its worker protections score fell from 85.71 to 73.33, while its right-to-organize score declined from 100 to 91.67.

1. California: 80.23 overall score
2. District of Columbia: 78.74 overall score
3. New York: 77.78 overall score
4. Illinois: 73.54 overall score
5. Oregon: 71.40 overall score
6. Washington: 67.70 overall score
7. Maine: 65.68 overall score
8. Colorado: 65.01 overall score
9. Connecticut: 64.08 overall score
10. Minnesota: 63.77 overall score

Worst states to work in

North Carolina remained last in the rankings for a second consecutive year.

The state's wage score increased from 7.28 in 2025 to 8.17 in 2026, but its worker protections score fell from 8.33 to 5.83. North Carolina maintained a right-to-organize score of 0.

Wyoming was the only state in the bottom 10 that was not in the South.

1. North Carolina: 4.9 overall score
2. Alabama: 6.66 overall score
3. Mississippi: 7.22 overall score
4. Tennessee: 8.64 overall score
5. South Carolina: 9.5 overall score
6. Kentucky: 11.2 overall score
7. Georgia: 11.3 overall score
8. Texas: 14.71 overall score
9. Wyoming: 15.24 overall score
10. Louisiana: 15.53 overall score

Methodology

The analysis ranked states across three categories, each weighted differently in the overall score. Wages accounted for 40% of the total score, worker protections accounted for 35% and right-to-organize policies accounted for 25%.

Wage policies

• Ratio of the minimum wage to the cost of living for a family of four.
• Ratio of the tipped wage to the minimum wage.
• Local control over minimum wages. A lack of local control is often referred to as preemption, meaning the state overrides local rules.
• Extension of the minimum wage to farmworkers.
• Ratio of unemployment insurance benefits to the cost of living for a family of four.

Worker protection policies

• Paid pumping breaks for breastfeeding workers.
• Equal-pay mandates.
• Paid family and medical leave and paid sick leave.
• Fair and flexible scheduling.
• Protection against workplace sexual harassment.
• Extension of workers' compensation to farmworkers.
• Protections for domestic workers.
• Heat standards for outdoor workers.
• Warehouse worker protections.
• Child labor protections.

Right to organize policies

• State "right-to-work" laws.
• Public teachers' collective bargaining rights.
• Project labor agreement requirements for public construction projects.
• Protection against wage-theft retaliation.
• Statewide collective bargaining policies for public workers.

Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal and Tennessee. She can be reached at [e-mail].

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tennessee ranks among worst states for workers in new Oxfam analysis