This paper uses a unique dataset on the migration of young adults between commuting zones to analyze the most common origins and destinations of Chattanooga’s young adult migrants. Many more young adults moved into Chattanooga than moved out of it, but Chattanooga’s net in-migration rate was much lower than those for large areas such as…
5/16/2024: The Demographics of Chattanooga Employment Growth
The Chattanooga metro economy has experienced higher-than-average employment growth for the past decade. This paper examines how this manufacturing-led boom has meant higher employment to population ratios for every major demographic category, despite the major disruption of the COVID pandemic. It finds that the benefits of Chattanooga’s boom have been felt by every age group,…
4/24/2024: Chattanooga Employment Revised Upward
In March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released revised estimates of state and metro area nonfarm employment. As a result, more than 4 thousand jobs were added to the estimated total employment in the Chattanooga metro area. Revisions of this sort are an annual occurrence and can lead to dramatic changes in what we…
3/23/2024: Recession and Recovery in Chattanooga
Although recessions are usually thought of as national-level events, there can be substantial differences across states and metro areas in when they occur. This paper determines and compares the timing of recessions for Chattanooga and four nearby metro areas. The shaded areas in the chart are the periods of recession in the Chattanooga metro area.…
2/25/2024: Chattanooga and Its Regional Economy
Chattanooga is situated at the literal crossroads between Atlanta, Birmingham, Knoxville, and Nashville, whose combined employment growth rate over the past 10 years was nearly double the national average. A full understanding of the Chattanooga metro economy requires an understanding of how it interacts with these large metro areas in its booming region. This paper…