Employment & Labor
Jobs, employment, and labor market data
Economic Indicators
GDP, stock market, trade, and macroeconomic metrics
FRED — Real GDP Growth Rate (A191RL1A225NBEA)
Real Gross Domestic Product, percent change from preceding period, annual. Published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) via FRED. Uses chained (inflation-adjusted) dollars.
FRED — S&P 500 Index (SP500)
S&P 500 stock market index price level. Published by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC via FRED. Price return only (excludes dividends). Annual returns calculated year-over-year.
FRED — Unemployment Rate (UNRATE)
Civilian Unemployment Rate (U-3), seasonally adjusted, percent. Published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) via FRED. Annual values are averages of 12 monthly readings.
FRED — Consumer Price Index Inflation (FPCPITOTLZGUSA)
Inflation, consumer prices for the United States, annual percent change. Published by the World Bank via FRED. Measures the annual percentage change in the cost to the average consumer of acquiring a basket of goods and services.
FRED — Federal Funds Effective Rate (FEDFUNDS)
Federal Funds Effective Rate, annual average of monthly values, percent. The interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight. Published by the Federal Reserve Board.
FRED — Balance on Goods and Services (BOPGSTB)
Balance on Goods and Services, Millions of Dollars, Quarterly, Seasonally Adjusted. Published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) via FRED. Annual values are sums of quarterly data. Negative values indicate a trade deficit.
NBER — US Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions
Official US recession dates as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Business Cycle Dating Committee. A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of economic activity and ends when it reaches a trough.
Federal Budget & Fiscal Policy
Government spending, deficits, and fiscal data
The American Presidency Project — Federal Budget Receipts and Outlays
Federal budget receipts, outlays, and surplus/deficit by fiscal year (in billions of dollars). Originally sourced from the Office of Management and Budget.
FRED — Federal Surplus or Deficit (FYFSD)
Annual federal surplus or deficit from fiscal year 1901 to present, published by the Office of Management and Budget via FRED.
Income, Wages & Household Debt
Income, earnings, poverty, consumer debt, and financial health metrics
FRED — Median Household Income (MEHOINUSA672N)
Median Household Income in the United States, Dollars, Annual, Not Seasonally Adjusted. Published by the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) via FRED. Nominal (current-year) dollars.
Census Bureau — Poverty Rate (PPAAUS00000A156N)
Estimated Percent of People of All Ages in Poverty for the United States, Percent, Annual, Not Seasonally Adjusted. Published by the U.S. Census Bureau via FRED. Uses the official poverty measure threshold.
FRED — Real Median Weekly Earnings (LES1252881600Q)
Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings for wage and salary workers 16 years and over. Inflation-adjusted to 1982-84 CPI dollars. Quarterly, seasonally adjusted. Published by BLS via FRED.
FRED — Total Household Debt (CMDEBT)
Households and Nonprofit Organizations; Debt Securities and Loans; Liability Level. Quarterly, seasonally adjusted. From Federal Reserve Z.1 Financial Accounts.
FRED — Mortgage Debt (HHMSDODNS)
Households and Nonprofit Organizations; One-to-Four-Family Residential Mortgages; Liability Level. Quarterly, seasonally adjusted, billions of dollars.
FRED — Consumer Credit (HCCSDODNS)
Households and Nonprofit Organizations; Consumer Credit; Liability Level. Includes credit cards, auto loans, student loans. Quarterly, seasonally adjusted.
FRED — Debt Service Ratio (TDSP)
Household Debt Service Payments as a Percent of Disposable Personal Income. Quarterly, seasonally adjusted. Measures burden of debt on households.
Energy & Consumer Prices
Gas prices and energy cost data
Healthcare
Healthcare spending and costs
Immigration & Border Security
Legal immigration, enforcement, and border statistics
DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics — Table 1 (LPR Admissions)
Persons obtaining lawful permanent resident (green card) status by fiscal year. Published annually by the DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics — Immigration Enforcement Actions
Annual immigration enforcement statistics including apprehensions, removals, and returns. Published by DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
CBP Southwest Land Border Encounters
U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics on border apprehensions and encounters. Includes Title 8 apprehensions and Title 42 expulsions (2020-2023).
Crime Statistics
Violent crime and public safety data
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting — Violent Crime Statistics
Annual violent crime data (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) collected from law enforcement agencies nationwide. Rates are per 100,000 population. NIBRS methodology transition in 2021.
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting — Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter
Annual murder and nonnegligent manslaughter data. Most reliably tracked crime statistic. Rates are per 100,000 population.
Geospatial & Maps
State and county-level data for choropleth maps
BLS — Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
Annual average unemployment rates for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 1976–2024. Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. Fetched via FRED using state-level series (e.g., CAUR, NYUR).
U.S. Census Bureau — Population Estimates & Decennial Census
County-level populations from the 2020 Decennial Census, state-level intercensal estimates from the Population Estimates Program (PEP) for benchmark years (1980, 2000, 2020), and county centroids from Census Gazetteer Files. Used to power the population density choropleth map.