The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog

Statistics on Federal Refundable Tax Credits for Every State Now Available

For years, BEA has provided state-by-state information on people’s incomes, which includes refundable tax credits and rebates. But BEA did not break out the refundable tax credit statistics.

Now, for the first time, BEA is making available the amounts and types of federal refundable tax credits broken out for each state, giving policymakers, researchers and academics a new tool for economic analysis.

February 2016 Trade Gap is $47.1 Billion

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in February 2016 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $45.9 billion in January (revised) to $47.1 billion in February, as imports increased more than exports. The previously published January deficit was $45.7 billion. The goods deficit increased $0.9 billion from January to $64.7 billion in February. The services surplus…

Value of U.S. Assets Decreased More Than U.S. Liabilities in Fourth Quarter 2015

The U.S. net international investment position was -$7,356.8 billion (preliminary) at the end of the fourth quarter of 2015 as the value of U.S. liabilities exceeded the value of U.S. assets. At the end of the third quarter, the net position was -$7,311.6 billion (revised).

Personal Income Decelerates in February

Personal income increased 0.2 percent in February after increasing 0.5 percent in January. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, decreased 0.1 percent in February after increasing 0.6 percent in January.

GDP Increases in Fourth Quarter

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the “third” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The growth rate was 0.4 percent point more than the “second” estimate released last month. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.0 percent.

State Personal Income: Fourth Quarter 2015

State personal income grew 0.8 percent on average in the fourth quarter of 2015, down from 1.0 percent in the third quarter. Thirty-three states, including the four largest states California, Texas, Florida, and New York had slower growth in personal income in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. Growth rates ranged from -0.1 percent in Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Nebraska to 1.3 percent in Michigan.

State Personal Income 2015

State personal income grew on average 4.4 percent in 2015, the same rate as in 2014. Growth of state personal income—the sum of net earnings by place of residence, property income, and personal current transfer receipts—ranged from -0.2 percent in North Dakota to 6.3 percent in California.

U.S. Current-Account Deficit Decreases in Fourth Quarter 2015

The U.S. current-account deficit—a net measure of transactions between the United States and the rest of the world in goods, services, primary income (investment income and compensation), and secondary income (current transfers)—decreased to $125.3 billion (preliminary) in the fourth quarter of 2015 from $129.9 billion (revised) in the third quarter of 2015. As a percentage of U.S. GDP, the deficit decreased to 2.8 percent from 2.9 percent.…

Travel and Tourism Spending Decelerated in Fourth Quarter of 2015

Inflation adjusted spending (or output) on travel and tourism decelerated in the fourth quarter of last year, increasing at an annual rate of 1.7 percent, after rising 4.5 percent in the third quarter.

For comparison, inflation-adjusted — or real — gross domestic product also decelerated during the same period, increasing 1.0 percent in the fourth quarter, after rising 2.0 percent.

BEA Data Provide a Look into America's Shopping Carts

America’s consumers spent more than $12 trillion last year on all kinds of stuff, including new cars, f

January 2016 Trade Gap is $45.7 Billion

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in January 2016 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $44.7 billion in December (revised) to $45.7 billion in January, as exports decreased more than imports. The previously published  December deficit was $43.4 billion. The goods deficit increased $1.1 billion from December to $63.7 billion in January. The services…

Retail Trade Led Growth Across States in the Third Quarter

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 47 states and the District of Columbia in the third quarter of 2015, according to statistics on the geographic breakout of GDP released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Overall, U.S. real GDP by state growth slowed to an annual rate of 1.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015 after increasing 3.8 percent in the second quarter. Retail trade; health care and social assistance; and…