Tia McDonald is a research agricultural economist at the Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA. Her research focuses on household and business financial health and the various implications of tax policy. Prior to joining ERS in 2020, Tia was a member of the faculty in the economics department at Ohio University. Interspersed with her education have been research posts in South Dakota State University’s economics department and UC Berkeley’s Institute for Transportation Studies. Tia completed her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Purdue University in 2014 with a specialization in spatial, health, and population economics. She also holds an M.S. in agricultural economics and a B.A. in political science from Colorado State University.