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“Family structure is one of the strongest predictors we have for whether children and communities are thriving,” wrote Brad Wilcox, Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia, and a lead researcher on the report. “States that are doing well in this area have markedly lower levels of child poverty, as well as higher rates of economic mobility and home ownership.”In last year’s inaugural index, Tennessee earned an overall score of 62.8%, coming in 20th. This year, Tennessee earned a higher index score of 88.1%, but dropped to 24th overall, as other states also made meaningful gains. That shift in ranking shouldn’t diminish the importance of Tennessee’s progress, nor should it overshadow the encouraging reality that pro-family culture is strengthening all across the country. Ultimately, this study is not about winners or losers, but about understanding the broader condition of family life in our state and nation. Here’s the breakdown of Tennessee’s results:
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55.6% of prime-age adults are married (compared to 57.7% in 2025 – a slight dip)
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Fertility rate of 1.73 (exactly the same as 2025)
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59.4% of children raised by married parents (compared to 46.7% in 2025 – an over 10% increase in a single year!)
We hope to see the day when every Tennessee child is raised by their married parents. A gain of 12.7 percentage points in a single year is incredible progress and an encouraging indicator that our state is headed in the right direction.
“The report suggests that family structure is the ‘missing piece’ of economic mobility,” the researchers wrote. “Children raised in stable, two-parent homes are twice as likely to graduate from college and significantly more likely to enter the middle class. Additionally, married adults are approximately 80 percent less likely to live in poverty than their single peers.”
At FACT, we promote marriage and family not only because it’s part of God’s perfect plan for creation, but because research has proven society is better off when traditional marriage is recognized as a common good.
“Seldom in the social sciences has there been such a strong and consistent pattern of findings than the one that marriage, as our keystone institution, is strongly linked to the welfare of children, adults, and the country itself,” Wilcox wrote. “More than 50 years of social science and medical research generally demonstrate that married men and women live longer, have healthier lives, earn and save more money, recover more quickly and successfully from illness, steer clear of trouble with the law, are less likely to attempt and commit suicide, and are more likely to be happy. Indeed, on most measures of financial, physical, social, and emotional well-being, men, women, and children in stable married homes do better.”
“The report suggests that family structure is the ‘missing piece’ of economic mobility,” the researchers wrote. “Children raised in stable, two-parent homes are twice as likely to graduate from college and significantly more likely to enter the middle class. Additionally, married adults are approximately 80 percent less likely to live in poverty than their single peers.”
At FACT, we promote marriage and family not only because it’s part of God’s perfect plan for creation, but because research has proven society is better off when traditional marriage is recognized as a common good.
“Seldom in the social sciences has there been such a strong and consistent pattern of findings than the one that marriage, as our keystone institution, is strongly linked to the welfare of children, adults, and the country itself,” Wilcox wrote. “More than 50 years of social science and medical research generally demonstrate that married men and women live longer, have healthier lives, earn and save more money, recover more quickly and successfully from illness, steer clear of trouble with the law, are less likely to attempt and commit suicide, and are more likely to be happy. Indeed, on most measures of financial, physical, social, and emotional well-being, men, women, and children in stable married homes do better.”
The benefits of children being raised by their married parents are indisputable and cannot be replicated by single-parent families, cohabitating families, or step-families. Studies show that children have the highest chance of succeeding in life when raised by their married parents.
“The truth is, no other institution protects children the way marriage does. If states want to address poverty, improve outcomes for children, and do more than simply react to higher rates of criminal behavior in communities with broken homes, they need to encourage raising children within marriage to the child’s other parent,” Patience Sunne, the engagement director at Them Before Us, a nonprofit dedicated to defending children’s rights, wrote.
We’re both heartened by Tennessee’s ranking this year and motivated to continue building a culture in Tennessee where families can flourish. Will you join us?]]>
