Motio (MOH-tee-oh) Research is an independent research firm advancing the measurement and analysis of U.S. household income.
We develop household income indicators from publicly available microdata, producing systematic monthly estimates that precede official annual releases. This framework provides timely visibility into household income dynamics, distributional shifts, and the changing economic conditions facing U.S. households.
Our work is grounded in statistical discipline, methodological transparency, and analytical precision.
Matías is an economist and sociologist with over two decades of professional and academic experience. He specializes in research and analysis using U.S. economic and socioeconomic data at the national, regional, and local levels.
Two distinctive motivations have consistently shaped his work in data-intensive research: a strong drive to develop innovative approaches that unlock the full potential of open economic data, and a deep commitment to communicating complex empirical findings with clarity and precision.
He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he specialized in social macro dynamics and labor markets. His doctoral dissertation examined the evolution of wage inequality in the United States using Census microdata, developing a novel empirical framework to analyze structural changes in earnings.
Today, his research centers on how economic change affects the economic well-being of U.S. households across socioeconomic and demographic groups.
Romina is a professional macroeconomist with nearly two decades of experience producing the economic and tax revenue forecasts for the Wisconsin state government. She is also the author of the quarterly Wisconsin Economic Outlook report.
Her forecasts of the Wisconsin economy have been independently identified among the best-performing state-level forecasts in the United States in three separate national evaluations: two joint studies conducted by the Pew Center on the States and the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government (2011 and 2014), and a 2024 report by the Urban Institute. The consistency of these findings over more than a decade underscores the robustness and reliability of her analytical framework.
Romina’s approach to macroeconomic analysis and forecasting combines rigorous empirical work with autonomous critical thinking and informed professional judgment. She views data and models as essential tools, but not substitutes for the interpretive skill of an experienced practitioner.