Beacon Center of Tennessee has released its new City Freedom Index for the first time in five years, ranking Tennessee’s 30 largest cities on how local policies impact residents’ everyday lives. The report evaluates areas such as taxes, property rights, business regulations, and individual liberty, offering a fresh look at how local governments affect Tennesseans beyond statewide policies.
Thousands move to Tennessee each year, many drawn by the state’s pro-growth policies. But while state laws set the stage, local regulations often shape daily life even more. Beacon first launched the City Freedom Index in 2020 to shine a light on how municipal rules influence taxpayers and businesses. With new local policies adopted over the past five years, this updated index gives an important snapshot of where cities stand today.
Here’s how local cities fared in the 2025 rankings:
| Rank | City | Population | Free Enterprise | Private Property | Individual Liberty | Cost of Government | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Vergne | 39,597 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 5 | Free Enterprise | Individual Liberty |
| 3 | Gallatin | 50,355 | 15 | 15 | 5 | 4 | Cost of Government | Free Enterprise |
| 4 | Brentwood | 45,265 | 2 | 27 | 4 | 12 | Free Enterprise | Private Property |
| 5 | Hendersonville | 63,618 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 7 | Private Property | Individual Liberty |
| 9 | Mt. Juliet | 42,912 | 5 | 30 | 11 | 2 | Cost of Government | Private Property |
| 11 | Lebanon | 48,112 | 14 | 9 | 17 | 9 | Private Property | Individual Liberty |
| 14 | Columbia | 47,445 | 11 | 21 | 22 | 10 | Cost of Government | Individual Liberty |
| 15 | Spring Hill | 57,637 | 8 | 23 | 21 | 13 | Free Enterprise | Private Property |
| 18 | Smyrna | 57,418 | 13 | 17 | 23 | 16 | Free Enterprise | Individual Liberty |
| 20 | Franklin | 88,558 | 3 | 28 | 24 | 21 | Free Enterprise | Private Property |
| 21 | Murfreesboro | 165,430 | 23 | 25 | 6 | 20 | Individual Liberty | Private Property |
To see the full list, view it here.
The City Freedom Index uses a comprehensive composite index approach. Beacon examined over 70 data points grouped into 25 metrics across four major categories: cost of government, free enterprise, private property, and individual liberty. Each metric was standardized using statistical z-scores, showing how far a city’s policies deviated from the average. These were then combined into category scores, with each category equally weighted to produce a final index. This approach is modeled on recognized methods like those used by the Cato Institute and aligns with international guidelines on constructing composite indicators.
The result is a data-driven snapshot of local policy freedom across Tennessee’s largest cities, giving residents, policymakers, and businesses a clearer picture of how their city shapes economic opportunity and personal liberty.
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