CRER research scholar Bento Lobo recently appeared on WUTC’s Scenic Roots to speak about his research on the benefits of broadband investment in Chattanooga. Among his findings are that “Since EPB launched its fiber optic network and automated electric grid here in Chattanooga in 2010, those investments have generated 5.3 billion dollars of economic gains…
12/12/25: New CRER White Paper on the Benefits of High-Speed Broadband
A new white paper from CRER research scholar Bento Lobo examines the different ways that Chattanooga has benefited from high-speed broadband. Chattanooga was the first city in the country to roll out citywide gigabit-speed broadband in 2010, and the benefits of this infrastructure have been widespread and substantial. The benefits have come in the form…
10/28/25: UTC Report: Home Prices Still Rising in Chattanooga, but Faster Income Growth is Helping
Newschannel9 in Chattanooga reported on the latest white paper from the Center for Regional Economics on trends in housing affordability. The research was done by CRER director and chief economist Howard Wall, who was interviewed for the story. “House prices rose about the same or the median house price, then the affordability problem, at least…
10/23/25: Housing Affordability Trends in Chattanooga
A new research paper from the CRER examines housing affordability in the Chattanooga metro area. It looks at a variety of measures of housing affordability that account for increases in the median price, rising household incomes, smaller housing units, and the sharp increase in mortgage rates. It concludes that house affordability remains a problem relative…
6/16/25: The Effect of Chattanooga’s Jobs Boom on Poverty Rates
In a new white paper, CRER director Howard Wall looks at trends in the official poverty rate in the Chattanooga metro area. The paper looks at the extent to which the recent jobs boom in the Chattanooga metro area has translated into a corresponding reduction in poverty. Following the national trend, Chattanooga’s official poverty rate…