Haslam College of Business
Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
Academic Research
Our faculty help inform public policy through research in economics, education, health and taxes.
Publications & Reports
The Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research conducts research on behalf of multiple public entities to reveal key insights about the economy in Tennessee and across the nation, as well as the efficacy of public programs.
Tennessee State Data Center
The Tennessee State Data Center, housed within the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, disseminates data from the U.S. Census Bureau and is a designated State Data Center.
Featured Research
Three-fourths of employers who responded to our Summer 2024 Business Leaders Survey still offer higher wages to combat inflation, but that’s down from 82% in the Winter 2024 survey. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they are charging customers higher prices or seeking to lower costs, compared to 73% in January, and the number of employers using AI increased six percent to 56% this summer. Only 6.5% of business leaders think there is any meaningful chance of recession this year in the U.S., and over three-quarters think there’s a less than 50% chance of it happening. We summarize key themes that emerge in our Summer 2024 report.
2025 Economic Report to the Governor
Tennessee forecasts, current as of December 2024, are based on an array of assumptions, particularly at the national level, which are described in Chapter One. Chapter Two details evaluations for major sectors of the Tennessee economy and presents the short-run and long-run outlook for the state economy, with an agriculture section provided by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Finally, Chapter Three provides an assessment of artificial intelligence and how it could affect the economy in the U.S. and in Tennessee.
2022-2070 Population Projections
Every two years, the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Researchr publishes population projections for Tennessee’s 95 counties. The data includes forecasted population, age, race/Hispanic ethnicity and sex for each county in the state.
Tennessee’s Navigate Reconnect, 2024 Annual Report
Since 2019, Navigate Reconnect has been Tennessee’s primary model of college coaching and advising for independent and over-25 students in Tennessee. Navigate Reconnect differs from most post-secondary advising programs by focusing on prospective students who are not yet enrolled in college, and who are either financially independent from their parents or over age 25. For the first annual Navigate Reconnect report, we combined program records with state administrative data to understand the rate at which Reconnectors enroll and persist in college and complete credentials.
Impact of TennCare
The Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research contracts with the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration to conduct an annual survey of Tennessee residents in order to ascertain their insurance status and use of medical facilities.
Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
Featured experts
Donald Bruce
Boyd Distinguished Professor
Donald Bruce is the Boyd Distinguished Professor in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee with a joint appointment as director of the Boyd Center for Business and…
Email: [email protected]
865-974-6088
Celeste Carruthers
William F. Fox Distinguished Professor of Labor Economics
Celeste Carruthers is the William F. Fox Distinguished Professor of Labor Economics in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a joint appointment in the…
Email: [email protected]
865-974-6000
Matthew Harris
Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics, Dr. Michael Stahl PEMBA Faculty Fellow (2017-2022-2023)
Matt Harris is the Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics in the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and the Department of Economics in the Haslam College of Business…
Email: [email protected]
865-974-5591
Lawrence Kessler
Research Associate Professor
Larry Kessler is a Research Associate Professor in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee at the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research. His research interests…
Email: [email protected]
865-974-6078
Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research
Recent News
UT Haslam Economics Expert Addresses Ramifications of Recent IRS Staff Cuts
Don Bruce, Boyd Distinguished Professor, recently addressed the logic of the force reduction, implications for taxpayers and more.
UT Study Finds Tax Cuts, Inflation Control Top Priorities for Tennessee Business Leaders
