
Our faculty help inform public policy through research in economics, education, health and taxes.
The Boyd Center conducts research to reveal key insights about the economy and public programs in Tennessee and across the nation.
Housed within the Boyd Center, TNSDC disseminates data from the U.S. Census Bureau and is a designated State Data Center.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) is an integral part of public education in Tennessee. There were 56 CTE programs of study available in school year 2022-23, organized by 16 career clusters. About 57% of 12th graders are designated as CTE concentrators, meaning that they have taken at least two courses in a CTE program of study. These statistical abstracts surrounding Career and Technical Education Pathways in Tennessee provide an in-depth overview of CTE course-taking for four recent 12th-grade cohorts: 2019-20 through 2022-23.
Economic forecasts, current as of December 2025, are based on an array of assumptions, particularly at the national level in Chapter 1. Chapter Two details major sectors of the Tennessee economy and presents the short-run and long-run outlook, and Chapter Three provides an analysis of Tennessee’s nuclear energy industry and how it contributes significantly to electricity generation, employment, and academic research in the state.
Every two years, the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research partners with the Tennessee State Data Center to publish population projections for Tennessee’s 95 counties. The most recent data, published in fall 2024, includes forecasts through 2070 on population, age, race/Hispanic ethnicity and sex for each county in the state.
Similar to last summer, four of five leaders believe there is less than a 50% chance that the U.S. will fall into a recession in the next year. About a quarter of employers who responded to the summer survey said tariffs have affected their business a lot, while almost 50% said they have felt a little effect from tariffs. Almost two-thirds said they are using artificial intelligence in a way that does not affect their employment levels. Most respondents felt the Tennessee economic outlook was better than the U.S.
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. It also gauges satisfaction rates for the TennCare program.

Boyd Distinguished Professor

William F. Fox Distinguished Professor of Labor Economics

Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics, Dr. Michael Stahl PEMBA Faculty Fellow

Research Associate Professor
Celeste Carruthers is the editor-in-chief at the Economics of Education Review, while Mike Kofoed is a co-editor for the Education Finance and Policy.

