Policy Report No. 06-01 March 9, 2006 How Business-Friendly Are Tennessee s Cities? A ranking of the business climate in Tennessee s 50 largest communities Each year, cities across Tennessee claim to be business-friendly. They cite a satisfying community environment that draws high-quality employees, a fair and reasonable tax structure, a skilled labor pool that delivers high return on investment in human capital and local amenities that draw customers and make it easier to do business. In order to determine which city rightly claims the title of Tennessee s Most Business- Friendly City, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research compared Tennessee s 50 largest cities based on four components crucial to business development and success: Community Allure, Minimal Local Business Tax Burden, Workforce Skill/Value, and Strategic Location/Business Amenities. No city succeeded in combining the elements better than Farragut, making the Knox County community Tennessee s Most Business-Friendly City of 2006. The thriving West Knoxville satellite features a workforce that is among the most educated in Tennessee and the third lowest tax burden of all of the cities in the state behind only Sevierville and Spring Hill. Farragut also receives high marks for its convenient access to Interstate 40 and Knoxville s McGhee-Tyson Airport. Just behind Farragut in business-friendliness were Middle Tennessee suburban communities in low tax Williamson and Wilson counties. Midsized East Tennessee cities, including Sevierville, Maryville and Johnson City, filled out much of the top ten. West Tennessee consistently scored below East and Middle Tennessee in most of the indicators of a business-friendly city. Out of the 50 communities considered in this evaluation, none of the ten West Tennessee Communities ranked higher than 23rd overall and only two scored high in the top half of the 50 largest cities. Nashville is the most business-friendly of Tennessee s four largest cities, finishing 15 th. Knoxville and Chattanooga are mired at 34 th and 38 th out of 50. Memphis, with the highest business tax rate in Tennessee and the lowest marks in community allure, rates as the least business-friendly city in Tennessee.
Tennessee Center for Policy Research policy report Community Allure Affordable cost of living, cultural and recreational opportunities, minimal crime rates, reasonable personal tax rates and a first-rate school system mean a high quality of life for residents. Those same advantages help attract and support businesses while supplying them with a vibrant workforce. Based on these indicators, no community was more alluring than Maryville. The county seat of Blount County received high marks for low crime and the best-scoring public school systems in the state. Following Maryville in public school rankings were Business-Friendly champion Farragut, Hendersonville and Collierville. Memphis, Goodlettsville and Nashville brought up the rear of the cities in the study based on combined ACT scores and graduation rates. What Goodlettsville lacks in public school quality, however, it nearly makes up in its stateleading cultural and recreational ranking, thanks to its theaters, museums and access to sports and entertainment venues. The state s lowest crime rates belong to Spring Hill, followed by the bedroom communities of Brentwood, Collierville, Germantown and Franklin. Upper East Tennessee fared well in the bang for the buck Cost of Living category. Elizabethton delivers the lowest cost of living with Bristol, Morristown and Kingsport also scoring in the top ten. Cities with high costs of living include Brentwood, Germantown and Jackson. Local Business Tax Burden Since Tennessee applies most business-specific taxes at the state level, the primary local tax on businesses in Tennessee is property tax. Property tax is applied to 40% of the appraised value of all commercial and industrial property statewide but the tax rate varies widely from location to location. If a business property is appraised at $1 million, the taxable value of the property would be $400,000.Thus, if a city charges a 5% local property tax, the bill for that property would be $20,000 each year. Thanks to an economy that relies heavily on revenue created by its tourism industry and not on local business taxes, Sevierville ranked highest in the Local Business Tax Burden category. Sevierville maintains the state s lowest property tax rate 2.04% of the appraised value. A piece of business property in Sevierville appraised at $1 million would cost only $8,160 per year in taxes. By comparison, the tax bill for that same property in Memphis is $29,082 as a result of Memphis 7.2704% property tax the highest in the state. Cities and counties in the state may also apply a local option sales tax of up to 2.75% on goods and services to which statewide sales tax is already applied. With a local option sales tax of 2%, Tullahoma has the lowest sales tax rate among Tennessee s 50 largest cities. 2
March 9, 2006 Fourteen cities, including Murfreesboro, Cookeville, Smyrna and Greeneville, levy the maximum sales tax rate. No West Tennessee city placed among the ten most taxpayer-friendly cities and half of the ten communities with the highest tax burden belonged to West Tennessee s Shelby County. Aside from Sevierville, other standouts for their low taxes include Spring Hill, Farragut and the Wilson County communities of Lebanon and Mount Juliet. Workforce Skill/Value A primary challenge to business operations of all sizes is hiring skilled, educated employees at a reasonable cost to the bottom line. Germantown and Farragut ranked head and shoulders above other cities in this category for the skill and education level of their populace while offering employers good value through reasonable personal income levels. Highly educated workforces propel Oak Ridge, Spring Hill and Collierville high into the ranking despite comparatively steep wage expectations. Greeneville offers a good bargain to employers through offering a source of educated employees at a good value thanks to a lower cost of living. Shelbyville, Lawrenceburg and McMinnville rank as the Tennessee towns with the least educated workforces. Strategic Location/Business Amenities In the case of many types of businesses, the success of a company relies on the conveniences of the surrounding area. Are interstates and airports accessible? Are there conference facilities? Are there banks, restaurants, hotels and leisure activities? No city answered yes to more of those questions than Nashville. Convenient access to three interstates, an international airport and more hotel rooms than any city in the state make the Music City the best location in Tennessee to draw a crowd, house a client or simply generate foot traffic. On the strength of lodging capabilities and their nearby airports and interstates, Knoxville, Chattanooga and Memphis also achieved high grades for access and convenience. High marks for restaurants, banks and golf courses put Maryville, Jackson and each of the Tri- Cities in the top 10. Not surprisingly, isolated communities such as Lawrenceburg, Martin and Tullahoma fared poorly in providing businesses with the amenities considered in this category. 3
Tennessee Center for Policy Research policy report Methodology The Tennessee Center for Policy Research considered four categories to determine Tennessee s Most Business-Friendly City: Community Allure, Local Business Tax Burden, Workforce Skill/Value, and Strategic Location/Business Amenities. Community Allure (20% of total business-friendly score) Cost of living rating, the culture index score, individual tax burden and crime rate per 100,000 each accounted for 20% of the Community Allure score The observed composite ACT score and high school graduation rate of the high school in the city each made up 10% of the category score Local Business Tax Burden (40% of total business-friendly score) An area s local business property tax rate comprised 75% of the Local Business Tax Burden score The local option sales tax constituted the remaining 25% Workforce Skill/Value (20% of total business-friendly score) Each of three factors constituted one-third of the Workforce Skill/Value ranking: A city s per capita personal income (lowest to highest) The percentage of adults who are high school graduates The percentage of adults who are college graduates Strategic Location/Business Amenities (20% of total business-friendly score) Seven separate factors were equally weighted to determine the Strategic Location/Business Amenities: Culture index score Interstate accessibility (miles from interstate) Airport accessibility (miles to closest commercial airport) Number of golf courses Number of hotel rooms Number of restaurants Number of banks Two aspects of great importance to business-friendliness that were not considered in this ranking are zoning ordinances and economic incentives. Oftentimes, communities rely on business development tactics such as tax breaks or eminent domain that benefit only businesses of a certain size or type. It is important that city councils, county commissions, mayors and other local policy makers work to create a welcoming environment for all businesses. This is best accomplished through zoning decisions that respect property rights while encouraging responsible development and a fiscally responsible government with a low tax burden to all taxpayers. 4
March 9, 2006 Conclusion No factor has been more crucial to the strength of the American economy than the entrepreneurial spirit of its people. Local governments play an ever-increasing role in encouraging and deterring that spirit and determining the business-friendliness of an area. Fortunately for Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis and other cities that rank among the least business-friendly cities in Tennessee, it is possible to become more business friendly. Lowering taxes, developing a strong educational system, reducing crime and creating cultural opportunities are all important components in becoming more business friendly. Prudent policy makers with the assistance of active residents and the support of the business community can continue working to meet those objectives. Because of the efforts of policy makers, residents and the business community, Farragut has succeeded in meeting those objectives in grand fashion, earning the title of Tennessee s Most Business Friendly City for 2006. 5
Tennessee Center for Policy Research policy report Sources Community Allure Cost of Living: http://realestate.yahoo.com/re/neighborhood/tennessee/ Culture Index Score: http://realestate.yahoo.com/re/neighborhood/tennessee/ Note: The culture index is an online index used to indicate the level to which cultural sites, activities, and events are available and accessible in the given area (e.g. museums, art galleries, playhouses, movie theaters, dance companies, colleges, libraries, music halls and concert venues, and spectator sports). Personal Tax Burden: http://170.142.183.29/panew/lr.asp?w=05 http://www.state.tn.us/revenue/pubs/taxlist.pdf Crime Rate: http://www.areaconnect.com/state.htm?s=tn http://www.city-data.com/city/dickson-tennessee.html http://www.cityrating.com/citycrime.asp?city=soddy%2ddaisy&state=tn Note: Farragut crime scores reflect Knoxville scores due to shared Police protection. School Quality: http://www.k-12.state.tn.us/rptcrd05/ Local Business Tax Burden Property Tax Rates: http://170.142.183.29/panew/lr.asp?w=05 Local Sales Tax: http://www.state.tn.us/revenue/pubs/taxlist.pdf Workforce Skill/Value Per Capita Personal Income: http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/pct/pctprofile.pl High School Graduation Rating, Bachelor's Degree Rating: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47000.html Strategic Location/Business Amenities Culture Index Score: http://realestate.yahoo.com/re/neighborhood/tennessee/ Interstate Accessibility, Airport Accessibility, Number of Golf Courses, Number of Hotel Rooms, Number of Restaurants, Number of Banks: http://www.tnecd.net/prospect/comm_data.htm Note: East Ridge, Farragut, Lebanon, Red Bank and Soddy-Daisy information for golf courses, hotel rooms, restaurants and banks obtained at http://local.google.com, www.mapquest.com and www.yellowpages.com. Some Goodlettsville information obtained at http://www.goodlettsvillechamber.com/facts.htm. 6
March 9, 2006 Appendix A: Overall Business-Friendly Rank City Personal Tax Community Allure Workforce Skill/Value Strategic Location Business Amenities Grand Division Total Farragut 71.8 73.1 77.3 51.6 East 69.1 Mount Juliet 71.7 76.5 55.7 59.8 Middle 67.1 Franklin 67.4 70.8 47.2 80.5 Middle 66.7 Sevierville 80 68.1 36.9 66.8 East 66.4 Brentwood 65.8 66.9 48.8 76.3 Middle 64.7 Maryville 46.8 79.3 55 88 East 63.2 Johnson City 49.8 64.9 56.9 85.4 East 61.4 Lebanon 71.7 69.2 30.3 64.3 Middle 61.4 Murfreesboro 49.5 67.2 57.6 77.7 Middle 60.3 Hendersonville 48.6 74.3 58.8 68.1 Middle 59.7 Athens 68.5 49.4 43.2 67.5 East 59.4 Spring Hill 72.4 56.1 63.3 31.7 Middle 59.2 Smyrna 54.2 71.2 47.1 67 East 58.7 Cleveland 54.4 56.5 46.7 78.7 East 58.1 Nashville 48.6 53.2 44.4 95 Middle 58 Cookeville 54.3 56.2 51.1 73 Middle 57.8 Gallatin 61.1 67.5 34.3 62.3 Middle 57.3 Morristown 64.1 52.6 33 69.2 East 56.6 La Vergne 56.9 72.8 46.6 47 Middle 56 Columbia 60.9 59.9 37.5 59 Middle 55.6 Soddy-Daisy 63.3 71.7 31.8 45 East 55 Springfield 61.8 62.5 30.2 58.3 Middle 54.9 Collierville 46.4 71 62.5 47 West 54.7 Martin 59.7 63.6 54.7 33 West 54.1 Red Bank 52.9 65.5 48.8 47.4 East 53.5 Clarksville 38.3 63.5 52.7 74.6 Middle 53.5 Kingsport 38.2 60.3 46.4 83.8 East 53.4 Jackson 47.1 39.9 47.3 85.4 West 53.4 Bristol 42.3 66.2 41.9 73.7 East 53.3 Greeneville 47 47.4 59.8 61 East 52.4 Bartlett 35.8 67.2 53.9 67 West 51.9 Portland 60.6 74.1 27.4 36.3 Middle 51.8 Dickson 48.8 64.1 37.6 56.4 Middle 51.1 Knoxville 29.1 56.5 44.7 94.1 East 50.7 Union City 54.4 50 38.7 52.4 West 50 Oak Ridge 27 62.9 67.8 62.1 East 49.4 Goodlettsville 39.2 55.6 37 75.4 Middle 49.3 Chattanooga 34.3 47 39.7 90.9 East 49.2 Germantown 31.2 57.9 79.4 45.9 West 49.1 Brownsville 52.5 44.3 39.8 48.4 West 47.5 Elizabethton 44.6 54.1 42.6 48.8 East 46.9 Dyersburg 52.6 52.9 31.9 41.9 West 46.4 Millington 38 57.1 33.2 60.9 West 45.4 Shelbyville 47.5 53 26.9 48.1 Middle 44.6 Tullahoma 42.2 48.6 51.2 36 Middle 44 McMinnville 49.9 49.1 31.4 39.8 Middle 44 East Ridge 42.5 52.6 40.1 40.9 East 43.7 Lewisburg 43.4 50.9 33.2 36.1 Middle 41.4 Lawrenceburg 42.8 41.4 32.6 30.9 Middle 38.1 Memphis 10 36.8 33 85.3 West 35 7
Tennessee Center for Policy Research policy report Appendix B: Community Allure City Cost of Living Culture Rating Personal Tax Burden School Quality Crime Rating Total Maryville 83.2 87.7 46.8 95.4 83.2 79.3 Mount Juliet 60 95.4 71.7 77.4 78.2 76.5 Hendersonville 61.4 92.3 48.6 80 89.2 74.3 Portland 85.9 96.9 60.6 48.7 78.2 74.1 Farragut 79.2 87.7 71.8 91.7 35.1 73.1 La Vergne 80.8 96.9 56.9 52.1 77.2 72.8 Soddy-Daisy 76 83.1 63.3 54.2 81.8 71.7 Smyrna 78.2 93.8 54.2 63.2 66.7 71.2 Collierville 36.6 96.9 46.4 80 95.2 71 Franklin 28.3 92.3 67.4 74.1 91.9 70.8 Lebanon 66.7 95.4 71.7 50.6 61.4 69.2 Sevierville 80.6 90.8 80 61.2 28.1 68.1 Gallatin 70.1 92.3 61.1 49.7 64.5 67.5 Murfreesboro 72.9 92.3 49.5 62 59.2 67.2 Bartlett 66.5 90.8 35.8 57.7 85.3 67.2 Brentwood 0 96.9 65.8 74.1 97.8 66.9 Bristol 94.1 80 42.3 65 49.4 66.2 Red Bank 82.4 86.2 52.9 43.1 62.7 65.5 Johnson City 80.8 84.6 49.8 73.2 36.1 64.9 Dickson 85 95.4 48.8 51.1 40.2 64.1 Martin 91.9 12.3 59.7 71.7 82.2 63.6 Clarksville 92.9 83.1 38.3 46.5 56.9 63.5 Oak Ridge 81.1 92.3 27 78.5 35.4 62.9 Springfield 82.8 96.9 61.8 33 38.1 62.5 Kingsport 92.7 81.5 38.2 69.1 20.2 60.3 Columbia 83.4 49.2 60.9 32.5 73.5 59.9 Germantown 2.4 93.8 31.2 68.2 94 57.9 Millington 89.3 90.8 38 29.1 38.1 57.1 Cleveland 88.7 58.5 54.4 52.3 28.4 56.5 Knoxville 79.2 87.7 29.1 51.3 35.1 56.5 Cookeville 93.1 2 54.3 69.4 62.3 56.2 Spring Hill 66.5 12.3 72.4 29.5 100 56.1 Goodlettsville 80.8 100 39.2 9.1 48.7 55.6 Elizabethton 100 16.9 44.6 61.6 47.5 54.1 Nashville 84.6 90.8 48.6 13.6 28.5 53.2 Shelbyville 85.9 0 47.5 53.6 77.8 53 Dyersburg 96.8 26.2 52.6 65.2 23.8 52.9 Morristown 93.3 21.5 64.1 56.4 27.8 52.6 East Ridge 82.4 86.2 42.5 16.2 35.6 52.6 Lewisburg 84.4 12.3 43.4 46.7 67.5 50.9 Union City 96.4 15.4 54.4 47.4 36.3 50 Athens 86.7 16.9 68.5 53.5 21.4 49.4 McMinnville 93.9 0 49.9 55.6 46.3 49.1 Tullahoma 83.8 2 42.2 62.8 52.1 48.6 Greeneville 91.1 0 47 67.2 31.5 47.4 Chattanooga 82.4 86.2 34.3 29.5 2.6 47 Brownsville 92.5 15.4 52.5 19.8 41.4 44.3 Lawrenceburg 94.9 16.9 42.8 50.7 0 41.4 Jackson 24.2 80 47.1 31.7 16.3 39.9 Memphis 66.5 90.8 10 7.9 9 36.8 8
Appendix C: Local Business Tax Burden March 9, 2006 City Sales Tax Score Property Tax Score Total Sevierville 20 100 80 Spring Hill 40 83.2 72.4 Farragut 40 82.4 71.8 Lebanon 40 82.2 71.7 Mount Juliet 40 82.2 71.7 Morristown 20 78.8 64.1 Athens 40 78 68.5 Franklin 40 76.5 67.4 La Vergne 0 75.9 56.9 Brentwood 40 74.4 65.8 Union City 0 72.5 54.4 Cookeville 0 72.4 54.3 Smyrna 0 72.3 54.2 Soddy-Daisy 40 71.1 63.3 Brownsville 0 70 52.5 Springfield 40 69 61.8 Gallatin 40 68.1 61.1 Columbia 40 67.9 60.9 Portland 40 67.5 60.6 McMinnville 0 66.5 49.9 Johnson City 0 66.4 49.8 Martin 40 66.2 59.7 Cleveland 20 65.8 54.4 Dickson 0 65 48.8 Shelbyville 0 63.3 47.5 Greeneville 0 62.7 47 Red Bank 40 57.2 52.9 Lawrenceburg 0 57 42.8 Dyersburg 40 56.8 52.6 East Ridge 0 56.6 42.5 Murfreesboro 40 52.6 49.5 Goodlettsville 0 52.2 39.2 Hendersonville 40 51.4 48.6 Nashville 40 51.4 48.6 Lewisburg 20 51.2 43.4 Clarksville 0 51.1 38.3 Jackson 40 49.5 47.1 Maryville 40 49.1 46.8 Elizabethton 40 46.1 44.6 Kingsport 20 44.2 38.2 Bristol 40 43 42.3 Millington 40 37.3 38 Tullahoma 60 36.3 42.2 Bartlett 40 34.4 35.8 Collierville 40 33.1 46.4 Chattanooga 40 32.4 34.3 Germantown 40 28.3 31.2 Knoxville 40 25.4 29.1 Oak Ridge 40 22.6 27 Memphis 40 0 10 9
Tennessee Center for Policy Research policy report Appendix D: Workforce Skill/Value City High School Graduation Rating Bachelor's Degree Rating Per Capita Income Ranking Total Germantown 100 100 38.3 79.4 Farragut 91.9 87.4 52.5 77.3 Oak Ridge 74.9 56.5 71.9 67.8 Spring Hill 77.7 40.4 71.8 63.3 Collierville 86.1 63 38.3 62.5 Greeneville 27.5 178 73.9 59.8 Hendersonville 74.6 33.9 68 58.8 Murfreesboro 57.8 42.5 72.6 57.6 Johnson City 44.5 39.8 86.5 56.9 Mount Juliet 74.6 36.6 56 55.7 Maryville 52.3 35.6 77.2 55 Martin 38.4 34.3 91.4 54.7 Bartlett 86.1 37.4 38.3 53.9 Clarksville 63.3 20.9 73.9 52.7 Tullahoma 43.6 29.7 80.2 51.2 Cookeville 30.9 37.4 85.1 51.1 Brentwood 77.2 69.3 0 48.8 Red Bank 59.8 24.8 61.8 48.8 Jackson 41.3 26.6 74 47.3 Franklin 74.9 65.2 1.4 47.2 Smyrna 47.7 20.9 72.6 47.1 Cleveland 36.4 25.8 77.9 46.7 La Vergne 52.3 15 72.6 46.6 Kingsport 37.9 28.3 73 46.4 Knoxville 43.4 30.3 60.4 44.7 Nashville 51.2 40.4 41.5 44.4 Athens 22 14.6 93 43.2 Elizabethton 15.6 12.2 100 42.6 Bristol 36.7 16.1 73 41.9 East Ridge 46.5 12 61.8 40.1 Brownsville 10.4 9.4 99.7 39.8 Chattanooga 41 24.2 54 39.7 Union City 26.6 9.1 80.5 38.7 Dickson 22.5 5.1 85.1 37.6 Columbia 36.1 11.6 64.9 37.5 Goodlettsville 61.3 29.1 20.6 37 Sevierville 27.2 8.5 75.1 36.9 Gallatin 24.6 10.4 68 34.3 Lewisburg 19.7 0 80 33.2 Millington 51.2 10 38.3 33.2 Memphis 37.6 23 38.3 33 Morristown 3.2 8.7 87.1 33 Lawrenceburg 2 3 92.9 32.6 Dyersburg 4 11.4 80.3 31.9 Soddy-Daisy 29.8 3.9 61.8 31.8 McMinnville 4.9 3.5 85.7 31.4 Lebanon 22.8 17.7 50.4 30.3 Springfield 8.1 5.7 76.9 30.2 Portland 13.6 0.6 68 27.4 Shelbyville 0 0.4 80.2 26.9 10
Appendix E: Strategic Location/Business Amenities March 9, 2006 City Culture Rating Interstate Access Commercial Airport Access Golf Courses Hotel Rooms Restaurants Banks Total Nashville 90.8 100 92 94 100 98 90 95 Knoxville 96.9 100 88 96 94 96 88 94.1 Chattanooga 80 100 86 98 96 94 82 90.9 Maryville 92.3 90 98 90 84 66 96 88 Jackson 83.1 100 93 90 86 88 58 85.4 Johnson City 96.9 100 83 80 82 84 72 85.4 Memphis 16.9 100 88 100 98 100 94 85.3 Kingsport 58.5 100 80 80 80 88 100 83.8 Franklin 86.2 100 75 68 78 74 82 80.5 Cleveland 87.7 100 77 80 76 72 58 78.7 Murfreesboro 49.2 94 67 86 90 82 76 77.7 Brentwood 93.8 100 86 24 68 64 98 76.3 Goodlettsville 100 100 80 68 60 62 58 75.4 Clarksville 86.2 72 42 80 88 90 64 74.6 Bristol 16.9 100 81 92 72 72 82 73.7 Cookeville 92.3 100 27 86 74 68 64 73 Morristown 95.4 84 39 68 62 78 58 69.2 Hendersonville 90.8 90 76 68 44 32 76 68.1 Athens 81.5 100 41 80 54 52 64 67.5 Smyrna 92.3 94 85 24 42 60 72 67 Bartlett 87.7 100 81 24 32 50 94 67 Sevierville 15.4 80 68 80 92 92 40 66.8 Lebanon 2 96 76 48 64 80 84 64.3 Gallatin 96.9 76 69 48 38 50 58 62.3 Oak Ridge 84.6 84 68 48 56 54 40 62.1 Greeneville 16.9 72 60 82 58 50 88 61 Millington 95.4 80 73 68 48 28 34 60.9 Mount Juliet 92.3 98 88 48 8 26 58 59.8 Columbia 26.2 84 51 48 70 76 58 59 Springfield 90.8 76 65 68 30 20 58 58.3 Dickson 0 92 51 68 66 60 58 56.4 Union City 90.8 72 32 68 40 24 40 52.4 Farragut 96.9 92 84 24 46 6 12 51.6 Elizabethton 95.4 68 74 24 12 44 24 48.8 Brownsville 96.9 100 78 24 16 18 6 48.4 11
Tennessee Center for Policy Research policy report Appendix E: Strategic Location/Business Amenities (Continued) City Culture Rating Interstate Access Commercial Airport Access Golf Courses Hotel Rooms Restaurants Banks Total Shelbyville 87.7 50 43 48 36 38 34 48.1 Red Bank 83.1 76 89 24 34 14 12 47.4 Collierville 12.3 90 77 48 22 8 72 47 La Vergne 92.3 96 89 0 24 22 6 47 Germantown 0 100 85 24 10 36 66 45.9 Soddy-Daisy 86.2 64 83 48 6 16 12 45 Dyersburg 80 20 15 48 50 56 24 41.9 East Ridge 21.5 100 95 0 6 30 34 40.9 McMinnville 90.8 54 14 24 28 34 34 39.8 Portland 15.4 100 55 24 52 2 6 36.3 Lewisburg 0 88 41 68 20 12 24 36.1 Tullahoma 12.3 78 24 48 26 40 24 36 Martin 93.8 0 41 48 14 10 24 33 Spring Hill 2 78 64 48 2 4 24 31.7 Lawrenceburg 12.3 42 0 68 18 42 34 30.9 12
About the Author Drew Johnson is president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute committed to responsible government. March 9, 2006 About the Tennessee Center for Policy Research The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to providing concerned citizens, the media and public leaders with expert empirical research and timely free market policy solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee. The Center generates and encourages public policy remedies grounded in the capacity of private enterprise, the ingenuity of individuals and the abilities of active communities to achieve a freer, more prosperous Tennessee. Guarantee of Quality Scholarship The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is committed to delivering the highest quality and most reliable research on Tennessee policy issues. The Center guarantees that all original factual data are true and correct and that information attributed to other sources is accurately represented. The Center encourages rigorous critique of its research. If an error ever exists in the accuracy of any material fact or reference to an independent source, please bring the mistake to the Center s attention with supporting evidence. The Center will respond in writing and correct the mistake in an errata sheet accompanying all subsequent distribution of the publication, which constitutes the complete and final remedy under this guarantee. Copyright 2006 by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, Nashville, Tennessee P.O. Box 121331 Nashville, Tennessee 37212 (615) 383-6431 Fax: (615) 383-6432 www.tennesseepolicy.org info@tennesseepolicy.org Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the Tennessee Center for Policy Research is properly cited. 13