Research and Course Guides: *Datasets & Statistics Guide: U.S. Economic Data

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See Sage Data's (formerly Data-Planet) help site for general help in searching and using the data sets, guides to specific sources, and links to statistical summaries by country or U.S. state.

Primary Economic Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is one of the three primary U.S. economic data providers. The links below illustrate the major types of data available.

Inflation & Prices
Portal page for official data series on consumer & producer price indices, import/export/international prices, and employment costs
Consumer Spending & Time Use
Links to the Community Expenditure Survey, the primary source for data on the spending habits of U.S. consumers by demographic category, and the American Time Use Survey, which details how we spend our time.
Unemployment
Official data on national, state, and local unemployment rates, international, and mass layoffs. | How the Government Measures Unemployment
Employment
Various surveys measure employment characteristics of U.S. workers and businesses, by demographics, industry, etc.
Pay & Benefits
Various series on the wages, earnings, and benefits of workers, often categorized by geography, industry, and occupation.
Productivity
Labor and multi-factor productivity data.
Workplace Injuries
Data on workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, by demographics and industry.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Narrative info and data on earnings, number of current & projected jobs, etc. for hundreds of occupations.
National Database of Childcare Prices
Sponsored by the Department of Labor Women's Bureau, the site contains a worksheet of county-level childcare price data from across the U.S. dating back to 2008, along with a Technical Guide (codebook) and associated research.

Banking Data

Federal Reserve System Economic Research & Data
Research reports and statistics and historical data on banks, lending, consumer credit, etc.
Economic Research portal
Includes Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) data sets and graphing/mapping tools for dozens of U.S. and international data series.
FRASER
A large online archival collection of documents, data, and primary resources on U.S. financial systems.
Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council
The FFIEC prescribes standards for the federal examination of financial institutions; includes reports on bank performance, "call reports", HMDA/CRA reports, etc.
FDIC Industry Analysis
Bank statistics and research papers from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, including the Quarterly Banking Report.
FDIC Bank Failure information and data
Includes summary and detailed information on bank and thrift failures since the FDIC was established in 1934.

Tax Data

IRS Tax Statistics
Links to data by tax type, income, form; includes historical data and the IRS Data Books. See the Corporation Complete Report for some data on income statements and balance sheets by industry.
Quarterly Summary of State & Local Tax Revenue (QTAX)
Quarterly estimates of state and local government tax revenue at a national level, plus detailed tax revenue data for individual states.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
Briefing documents on public policies, prepared for Congress, available to the public.

Primary U.S. Economic Indicators

The primary official U.S. macroeconomic indicators available at this site include the following:

Each page will have the press release accompanying that month's release, along with links to detailed data tables for each time series.

Census Bureau Economic Indicators page
Direct links to data series, including many of those listed above, plus some others regarding manufacturing, housing, and services sector finances.

Primary Economic Data: Census Bureau

Data.census.gov
This is the search portal for all Census Bureau datasets.
Census Bureau Topic Page on Business & the Economy
Portal to all of their economic, business & industry data.
Economic Census
Performed every 5 years. Data by industry and geographic area down to zip code, depending on industry sector. Data include # of establishments, sales, payroll, # of employees. Special reports on product lines, materials consumed, concentration ratios. Data retrievable through Census's Data.census.gov.
County Business Patterns
Annual survey data including # of establishments, # of employees, payroll, by detailed industry and geography including nation, state, county, metro area, zip code. Tables and mapped data, including some cross-tabs by size, legal form of organization, etc. Data retrievable through Census's Data.census.gov.
Quarterly & Annual Services Survey
Detailed revenue estimates by industry and type of business for service industries.
Monthly & Annual Retail Trade Reports
Sales, inventories, operating expenses of retail trade industries.
Census Income Data page
Various data series and tables on income in the U.S.

Primary Economic Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is a primary provider of economic data, including official estimates of GDP, personal income, trade deficits, home of the National Income & Product Accounts, and publisher of the Survey of Current Business.

BEA home page
Portal to the BEA's economic data
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the National Income & Product Accounts (NIPA)
Official news releases and data tables from the issuers of GDP information. "The NIPAs display the value and composition of national output and the
distribution of incomes generated in its production."
Personal Income & Saving
Official source of U.S. Personal income data.
International Economic Accounts
Source of these important data series measuring international economic activity affecting the U.S. Includes Balance of Payments; Trade in Goods & Services.
GDP by Industry; Input-Output Accounts
The GDP by industry accounts measure the contribution of each private industry and of government to GDP, while the input-output (I-O) accounts trace the flow of goods and services among industries in the production process and which show the value added by each industry and the detailed commodity composition of national output.

Federal Budget Info

Office of Management & Budget: The President's Budget
The President's budget documents, analyses, and historical data on federal government spending, deficits, and debt.
Economic Report of the President
Annual report written by the Council of Economic Advisors. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. Searchable. List of statistical tables on the economy and federal spending and debt.
Congressional Budget Office
Provides "objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget."
Government Accountability Office
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars, and issues reports.

Pensions

eFast Form 5500 Pension Filings
Access financial data for company pension plans from federal regulatory filings (form 5500 annual report).
Form 5500 Datasets
Also from Dept. of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

About Economic Indicators

Guide to Economic Indicators by Norman Frumkin
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Provides quick and easy access to reliable data on the major statistical measures of the U.S. economy. Equally useful for students, general readers, economists, analysts, journalists, and investors, this guide provides concise, jargon-free explanations of the meaning, use, and availability of more than 70 macroeconomic indicators.
The Secrets of Economic Indicators {print edition} by Bernard Baumohl
Call Number: HB3730 .B38 2013
Publication Date: 2012-07-24
Reviews the latest US and foreign economic indicators, and brand-new insights into what all of today's leading indicators mean. Baumohl introduces dozens of new, forward-looking economic markers, including those that monitor small business plans, freight traffic shifts, web searches, and even gambling. Graphics illuminate how key indicators impact interest rates, bond and stock prices, and currency values; and includes hundreds of websites containing US and global economic indicators.

Other U.S. Economic Indicators

International Financial Statistics This link opens in a new window
From the International Monetary Fund (IMF), international financial data and macroeconomic indicators including measures of money supply, exchange rates, trade/balance of payments, prices/inflation, interest rates, employment, and national income & product accounts.

Other Sources

The Billion Prices Project
Daily price indices, monthly, and annual inflation rates for the US and other countries, daily global retailer and online price data from selected retailers and years.
Center for Microeconomic Data (NY Fed)
Survey datasets with microdata on consumer expectations, household finances and debt, labor markets, housing, etc.; from the NY Federal Reserve.
Economagic.com's Economic Time Series Page
Comprehensive collection of free economic time series data for economic research and forecasting. Primarily U.S. data but also includes Canada and Japan. Also has U.S. automotive data.
Federal Trade Commission Data
Visualizations and datasets on the Commission's work in anti-trust enforcement, consumer protection, Do Not Call list, etc.
Prices & Wages by Decade
Primary and secondary data back to the 1600's, compiled by the University of Missouri Libraries.
StatsAmerica
Economic Development Data & Tools