This 2022 volume of An Economic Report to the Governor of the State of Tennessee is the forty-sixth in a series of annual reports compiled in response to requests by state government officials for assistance in achieving greater interdepartmental consistency in planning and budgeting efforts sensitive to the overall economic environment. Both short-term, or business cycle-sensitive forecasts, and longer-term, or trend forecasts, are provided in this report. The report’s special section, the State of the Labor Market in Tennessee, reviews the labor force recovery from the initial pandemic shock.

The Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, under contract with the Department of Finance and Administration of the State of Tennessee, conducted a survey of Tennessee residents to ascertain their insurance status and use of medical facilities and their level of satisfaction with the TennCare program. A target sample size of 5,000 households allows us to obtain accurate estimates for subpopulations. The Boyd Center prepared the survey instrument in cooperation with personnel from the Division of TennCare.

Many business leaders from across Tennessee responded to the Boyd Center’s semi-annual Business Leaders Survey, providing a unique perspective on Tennessee and the nation’s economy. Responses were provided between August 9 and August 23, 2021. Respondents, nearly 60 percent of whom are CEOs or company owners, represent a broad sample of Tennessee’s businesses, both by size and by industry.