This study focuses on one aspect of the gains from UT, the economic benefits that result from the production of education and the many other activities in Tennessee as the UT system delivers its many services. Using detailed revenue and expenditure data from each campus and institute, this study examines the economic impact that arises in the state of Tennessee from the education, research, and athletics that were produced by the UT System in Fiscal Year 2017 (from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017), which includes the Fall 2016 to Spring 2017 academic year and portions of two summer terms. The economic impact is generated through spending made by the system, its students, and campus visitors.

This 2019 volume of An Economic Report to the Governor of the State of Tennessee is the 43rd 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. Tennessee forecasts, current as of December 2018, 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, with an agriculture section provided by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Chapter Three presents the long-run outlook and forecast for the state. Chapter Four discusses federal tax reform, tariffs and the implications for labor markets across the state of Tennessee. The primary purpose of this annual volume—published, distributed, and financed through the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the Tennessee Department of Revenue, and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development—is to provide wide public dissemination of the most-current possible economic analysis to planners and decision-makers in the public and private sectors.

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.