UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research

What UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research does

The UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) is a research bureau within the University of New Mexico, established in 1945 to provide authoritative socioeconomic data, forecasting, and applied research for the state of New Mexico. BBER serves government agencies, business leaders, decision-makers, and non-profit organizations that need localized economic intelligence, with a portfolio covering economic development, energy and natural resources, health care, transportation, and workforce development. The organization operates from UNM's Central Campus in Albuquerque and has grown over 80 years into one of the Southwest's most established economic research institutions.

BBER's core technology is the FOR-UNM econometric forecasting model, refined for over 30 years to project more than 300 economic variables for New Mexico and sub-state regions including Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces, the Permian Basin, Santa Fe, and non-metro areas. The product portfolio includes the Data Bank (curated New Mexico datasets from state and national sources), Data Dashboards (real-time visual indicators for places, industries, or organizations), the Lea County GRT Revenue Estimator (dynamic regression model linking county revenue to oil prices and active drilling rigs), the Energy Information Dashboard, and the Ask BBER question-answering service. The organization maintains a REST API for energy data with documented endpoints for CSV and JSON downloads, and integrates data from U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. BEA, U.S. BLS, U.S. EIA, NM Department of Workforce Solutions, and NM Taxation and Revenue Department.

BBER's revenue model is subscription-based with annual contracts for FOR-UNM forecasting, Data Dashboards, Data Bank access, and the Lea County GRT Revenue Estimator, alongside custom applied research projects priced by scope of work. All pricing is custom and quotes-based, with no public price list. The go-to-market is sales-led through direct contact with BBER staff who create subscriber accounts and assign product access, supplemented by the annual NM Data Users Conference and digital channels including email newsletter, social media, and a GitHub presence. As a state university research bureau, BBER is owned by the State of New Mexico and operates under UNM's governance structure without external investors or independent equity.

Name

UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research

Legal name

UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research

Website

https://bber.unm.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research is a 1945-established university research bureau within the University of New Mexico providing authoritative economic data, forecasting, and custom research for government agencies, businesses, and non-profits in New Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. FOR-UNM Economic Forecasting Subscription: Quarterly subscription package projecting economic variables for New Mexico and major metropolitan areas. Includes historical and forecast data, statewide and regional views, and subscriber meetings based on subscription tier.
2. Data Dashboard Subscriptions: Annual subscription service providing custom economic dashboards with regular maintenance and updates. BBER maintains data hosting and updates including new annual releases, data revisions, seasonal fluctuations, and economy-focused changes.
3. Data Bank Subscriptions: Annual fee-based subscription providing password-protected access to selected New Mexico datasets from BBER's curated Data Bank.
4. Lea County GRT Revenue Subscription: Interactive estimator subscription allowing subscribers to model revenue paths under their own oil price and drilling activity assumptions. Includes data downloads in CSV, JSON, and documented API endpoint.
5. Custom Research Projects: Tailored applied research for policy, industry, and community questions across New Mexico. Cost determined by scope of work. Includes speaking engagements and presentations from the BBER research team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BBER delivers New Mexico-focused economic forecasting, curated socioeconomic data, and custom research to government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Its flagship FOR-UNM subscription projects more than 300 economic variables quarterly for the state and six sub-state regions. Complementary offerings include Data Bank datasets, custom Data Dashboards, the Lea County GRT Revenue Estimator, and contract Research Services for impact analysis and feasibility studies.

Product overview

The UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research operates as an economic research institution within the University of New Mexico, offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services focused on New Mexico economic data and forecasting. The core offerings include FOR-UNM (New Mexico Economic Forecasting) as the flagship quarterly subscription projecting over 300 economic variables, supported by the Data Bank providing curated datasets and historical reference materials. Organizations can subscribe to custom Data Dashboards for real-time indicators, while specialized tools like the Lea County GRT Revenue Estimator provide interactive econometric models. Research Services offer custom analysis including impact studies and feasibility research. Additional resources include Ask BBER (a Q&A service), Publications, Presentations, Energy Information Dashboard, Census Reference Maps, and Data Portal access. The NM Statewide Dashboard provides public-facing key economic indicators. Data access is available through annual fee-based subscriptions with password-protected access to selected datasets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FOR-UNM (New Mexico Economic Forecasting) BBER's flagship quarterly forecasting subscription that projects more than 300 economic variables for New Mexico and six sub-state regional economies (Albuquerque, Farmington, Las Cruces, Permian Basin, Santa Fe, and non-metro regions). Designed for state and local government agencies, private-sector decision-makers, and non-profit organizations that need authoritative economic outlooks for budgeting, planning, and strategic decision-making.
• Data Bank Annual fee-based subscription providing password-protected access to selected New Mexico datasets curated by BBER. Covers employment, population, migration, income, commuting, education, housing, gross receipts, and building permits data sourced from state and national agencies. Designed for researchers, planners, and analysts who need specialized New Mexico datasets not readily available elsewhere.
• Data Dashboards Annual subscription service for custom economic dashboards that visually communicate real-time data indicators for specific places, industries, or organizations. Dashboards are delivered as private dashboards behind subscriber logins or as public dashboards embedded via iframe, with BBER maintaining data hosting and ongoing updates. Designed for organizations that need tailored, continuously updated visualizations of New Mexico economic indicators.
• Lea County GRT Revenue Estimator Interactive estimator built on BBER's econometric model of Lea County gross receipts tax revenue. Subscribers set starting revenue levels, oil prices, and drilling rig counts to estimate month-by-month revenue paths, with side-by-side baseline and scenario outputs. Includes full data downloads in CSV, JSON, and a documented API endpoint. Designed for Lea County officials, oil and gas stakeholders, and analysts modeling county revenue under different oil price and drilling scenarios.
• Research Services Custom applied research tailored to policy, industry, and community questions, including economic impact analysis, focus groups, survey research, feasibility studies, labor market research, demographics/migration analysis, cost-benefit analysis, employment forecasting, and fiscal impact analysis. Cost is determined by scope of work, and fee-based speaking engagements and presentations from the BBER research team are available upon request. Designed for government agencies, businesses, and non-profit organizations needing bespoke New Mexico economic analysis.
• Ask BBER Question-answering service that uses indexed BBER research publications, data documentation, and presentations to answer questions about New Mexico's economy, labor market, housing, or industries. Designed for users seeking quick, evidence-based answers sourced from BBER's research catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• FOR-UNM projects 300+ economic variables for New Mexico and major regional economies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UNM-TaoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025UNM-Taos commissioned BBER to evaluate the social, financial, and environmental impacts of the proposed Cielo Centro Observatory. BBER Research Scientist Alexis P. Amodio-Cardwell conducted the October 2025 impact study evaluating the observatory's potential for STEM education, workforce development, and community prosperity.
• City of Albuquerque's Department of Arts & CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024BBER worked in partnership with the City of Albuquerque's Department of Arts & Culture to complete a comprehensive study of Albuquerque's creative economy over 18 months. The study updated previous research on Albuquerque's creative economy and examined current opportunities, challenges, and trends in creative professions locally and nationally.
• U.S. Census BureaucoreTechnology or IntegrationBBER maintains extensive partnerships with U.S. Census Bureau data sources including CBDT: Census Bureau Data Tool, CBB Census Business Builder, CBP: County Business Patterns, Economic Census, Population Estimates, SAIPE, SAHIE, LEHD, and State Data Center Program.
• New Mexico Department of Workforce SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationBBER leverages data from NM Department of Workforce Solutions (DWS) for labor market information and workforce statistics. Suzan Reagan previously worked at NMDWS Economic Research and Analysis Bureau.
• New Mexico Taxation and Revenue DepartmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationBBER uses gross receipts data from NM Taxation and Revenue Department (TRD). The Data Portal provides access to gross receipts resources used by BBER.
• U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)coreTechnology or IntegrationBBER integrates BEA data as part of its comprehensive economic data sources for New Mexico analysis.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)coreTechnology or IntegrationBBER uses BLS data including Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) and QCEW program data for employment analysis. The NM Statewide Dashboard sources data from BLS.
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)coreTechnology or IntegrationBBER tracks New Mexico drilling activity and WTI crude oil prices using BBER REST data sourced from EIA via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Moody's Analytics: Global economic research and forecasting provider offering macroeconomic forecasts, regional/state models, and economic data products. Competes with BBER's economic forecasting offering at the high end of the market, especially for multi-state commercial subscribers.
• S&P Global Market Intelligence: Global economic and financial data, analytics, and forecasting provider (formed from the merger of S&P Capital IQ and IHS Markit). Operates at a vastly larger scale than BBER but addresses the same underlying need — economic indicators, forecasts, and data products — for enterprise and government subscribers.

Others

• Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): U.S. federal agency producing national, state, and regional economic data (GDP, income, employment). BBER is a direct data partner/integrator of BEA data and an indirect substitute for users who could access BEA data directly. Included as an ecosystem peer given BBER's reliance on and curation of BEA data products.
• Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI): Provider of REMI Policy Insight, a widely used regional economic modeling and forecasting software platform. BBER uses comparable econometric modeling techniques (e.g., dynamic regression models for revenue forecasting) and engages with the same end users; REMI is an ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Beacon Economics: Los Angeles-based economic research and consulting firm producing regional economic forecasts, impact analyses, and policy studies for California and other western states. Comparable to BBER in offering state/regional economic forecasting, impact studies, and applied research on a subscription and contract basis.
• The Perryman Group: Texas-based economic research and consulting firm producing economic impact analyses, revenue forecasts, and regional economic studies for public and private clients. Closely comparable to BBER's custom-research and impact-study practice, particularly for energy-producing regions.
• EconNorthwest: Oregon-based economic consulting firm providing economic analysis, forecasting, and impact studies for the Pacific Northwest. Comparable to BBER in serving state and local governments with subscription-quality economic data products and custom applied research.
• UMass Donahue Institute: University-based economic and policy research institute that provides state-level economic data, forecasts, impact studies, and survey research for Massachusetts — directly analogous to BBER's role for New Mexico. Both operate as university-affiliated research units selling subscriptions and custom research to government and nonprofit clients.
• Bureau of Business Research (University of Nebraska): University of Nebraska's Bureau of Business Research produces state-level economic forecasts, indicators, and applied research for Nebraska — a near-identical structural peer to BBER. Both are university research bureaus producing recurring forecasting products and serving state government and business decision-makers.

Regional players

• Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas: Regional Federal Reserve Bank whose territory includes New Mexico and conducts economic research, Energy Survey work, and regional forecasting most directly relevant to BBER's audience. A key adjacent institution that BBER's customers (government, business) also rely on for economic outlooks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNMBBER
• GitHubgithub.com/UNM-BBER
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxij5K50zix6PznCtS4pvng
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNMBBER
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unm-bureau-of-business-and-economic-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/UNMBBER

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research