Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is celebrating the economic improvement of four rural counties in the state, which has led to Tennessee seeing its lowest number of distressed counties since the 2007 economic crisis.
In East Tennessee, Morgan and Fentress County are no longer considered economically distressed. McNairy and Jackson counties also improved in the Appalachian Regional Commission's yearly index.
“McNairy, Jackson, Fentress and Morgan counties have shown tremendous improvement and we are proud to support continued efforts for greater stability and prosperity,” said Gov. Lee. “As these counties improve beyond distressed status this means more residents have access to quality jobs and economic security and we are committed to efforts that sustain this progress.”
While seeing considerable economic growth, the four counties are still considered to be at-risk. The ARC measures status based on each county's three-year average unemployment rate, per capita market income and poverty rate.
"I was honored to receive the good news that Fentress County has moved off of the distressed county list,” Fentress County Executive Jimmy Johnson said. “I would like to thank Governor Bill Lee, along with his staff and the Department of Economic and Community Development for the plan and great guidance to follow to make this possible. We will strive harder than ever to make Fentress County a better place for our citizens to live. Thanks to all who have supported us on our journey.”
“This is great news for Morgan County. We have worked extremely hard to help lift our county off of the distressed list,” Morgan County Executive Brian Langley said. “We will continue working hard to make sure we keep Morgan County on the right track. A lot of positive things are happening in Morgan County, and we look forward to continuing to lead the way.”
Tennessee is working to reduce the number of distress counties down to 10 by 2025 fiscal year. Currently, there are 11 counties still on that list, including Cocke, Hancock and Scott counties.
Beyond distressed and at-risk, the ranking also classifies counties based on their economic prosperity compared to the rest of the U.S. Most are considered middle-of-the-road in this regard with a ranking of "transitional," which includes Knox, Hamilton and Shelby counties. Some counties around the Nashville area, including Davidson, are considered to be in the higher tiers of "competitive."
Only one Tennessee county made it into the highest tier of "attainment" with an overall ranking of 3 in the U.S.: Williamson County. The county, which includes the cities of Brentwood and Franklin, has consistently ranked as the wealthiest in Tennessee and one of the wealthiest in the country for more than a decade.
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