Richard Dunn is a research agricultural economist in the Structure, Technology, and Productivity branch of the Resource and Rural Economics Division at USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS).

Richard joined ERS in February 2023. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Texas A&M University (2008–2014) and an associate professor at the University of Connecticut (2014–2023). His research focuses on the use of Federal administrative data to define and study agriculture and food industries and their contribution to the U.S. economy. Specifically, he is examining the determinants of productivity, employment, and wage growth in agriculture and food industries; the role of non-farm establishments in undertaking agricultural production activities; the propagation of production and policy shocks through supply chain linkages in the agriculture and food supply chain; and the contribution of agriculture and food industries to rural economic development.

Richard received a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin, an MSc in econometrics and mathematical economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in mathematics and economics from Williams College.

Babkin, A., Dunn, R. A., Hueth, B., & Segarra, E. (2022). Employment and payroll dynamics in support services for agriculture. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 44(3), 1482–1498.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2019). Improving Data Collection and Measurement of Complex Farms. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Dunn, R. A., & Hueth, B. (2017). Food and Agricultural Industries: Opportunities for Improving Measurement and Reporting. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 99(2), 510–523.