The Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA) releases 12 monthly and quarterly Principal Federal Economic Indicators collected by its constituent bureaus: the U.S. Census Bureau [15] and the Bureau of Economic Analysis [16] (BEA). Businesses rely heavily upon these indicators to make decisions every day. In their public comments, the Secretary and ESA’s Under Secretary and Chief Economist put the indicators into a national and global economic context.
Enter your e-mail address below to sign-up for e-mail updates from EconomicIndicators.gov [17]
ESA and its bureaus release additional economic data from time to time:
Census Bureau Economic Indicators page [18]
BEA Current Releases page [19]
Advance Monthly Retail Sales [20]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly, with revisions
Description: A report of the dollar value of sales of a broad range of goods, from cars and gasoline to furniture, food services, and clothing.
Advance Report on Durable Goods [21]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly, with revisions
Description: A measure of the number of orders for a broad range of products—from computers and furniture to autos and defense aircraft—with an expected life of at least three years. The Census Bureau's report on strong factory orders (see below) includes revised and more detailed estimates of durable goods shipments and orders, plus estimates of nondurable goods shipments and orders.
Construction Spending [22]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly
Description: A measure of the dollar value of new construction activity. Includes data on residential projects (such as homes and apartment buildings), nonresidential projects (such as privately funded office buildings), and public projects (such as schools and highways funded by the local, state, or federal government).
Current Account Balance [23]
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Frequency: Quarterly
Description: Also known as the "current account deficit," this report is a measurement of net U.S. trade in merchandise, services, and certain financial transactions.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) [24]
Source:Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Frequency: Quarterly, with revisions
Description: GDP is a comprehensive measure of the economic health of the nation. It represents the total value of the country's production and consists of purchases of domestically produced goods and services by individuals, businesses, foreigners, and the government.
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders [21]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly
Description: Also known as "factory orders," this report comprises the dollar level of new orders for manufactured durable goods (products with an expected life of at least three years) and nondurable goods. The report gives more complete information than the advance durable goods orders report (see above), which is released earlier in the month.
Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales [25]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly
Description: Also known as "business inventories," this is a report of the dollar value of product inventories held by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Included in the report is the inventories/sales ratio, a gauge of the number of months it would take to deplete existing inventories at the current rate of sales.
New Home Sales [26]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly
Description: A report of the number of newly constructed homes with a committed sale during the month.
New Residential Construction [27]
Source: Co-release of Census Bureau and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Frequency: Monthly
Description: Also known as "housing starts and building permits," this report comprises data on the construction of private residential structures, such as single-family homes and apartment buildings.
Personal Income and Spending [28]
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Frequency: Monthly, with revisions
Description: A report of the income that households receive from all sources, such as wages and salaries, employer contributions to pension plans, rental properties, and dividends and interest. It also includes data on personal spending for durable goods (products with an expected life of more than one year) and nondurable goods and services, as well as information on the percentage of their income that households are saving.
U.S. Trade Balance [29]
Source: Co-release of Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Frequency: Monthly, with revisions
Description: A report of the difference between the dollar value of exports and imports. Foreign trade is an important component of aggregate economic activity, representing a significant portion of gross domestic product.
Wholesale Trade [30]
Source: Census Bureau
Frequency: Monthly
Description: A report of the tally of sales and inventories of U.S. merchant wholesalers.