The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog
Northern Mariana Islands' Economy Grows for Third Straight Year
The economy of the Northern Mariana Islands expanded in 2014, marking the third consecutive year of growth.
Real gross domestic product, adjusted to remove price changes, increased 3 percent in 2014. For comparison, real GDP for the United States (excluding the territories) increased 2.4 percent during the same period.
The growth in the Northern Mariana Islands’ economy reflected increases in private fixed investment, consumer…
Personal Income Rises in January
Personal income increased 0.5 percent in January after increasing 0.3 percent in December. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, increased 0.6 percent in January after increasing 0.2 percent in December.
GDP Increases in Fourth Quarter
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 1.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the “second” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.0 percent.
President's Budget Backs BEA Efforts to Provide New and Improved Economic Data
As the fictional great detective Sherlock Holmes put it, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has quoted: “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”
In the case of business leaders, households, and policymakers, those data frequently come from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Several initiatives contained in President Barack Obama’s recently unveiled budget for fiscal year 2017 would enable BEA to…
Arts and Culture Grow at Faster Pace as BEA Takes its First Inflation-Adjusted Look
Arts and cultural economic activity, adjusted for inflation, grew 2.5 percent in 2013, according to estimates of the industries’ real value added by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. That compares with a 1.1 percent increase in 2012.
Information services and design services were the leading contributors to the growth in 2013. Overall, 26 of 36 arts and culture-related industries contributed to the increase. As a group, the core arts…
Innovation @ BEA: Exploring New Data Projects
BEA is working on a variety of projects this year to bring new economic statistics your way. The goal is to give business people, policymakers and households additional tools to make informed decisions and deepen their understanding of the U.S. economy.
2015 Trade Gap is $531.5 Billion
The U.S. international trade deficit increased in 2015 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $508.3 billion in 2014 to $531.5 billion in 2015, as exports decreased more than imports. As a percentage of U.S. gross domestic product, the goods and services deficit was 3.0 percent in 2015, up from 2.9 percent in 2014. The goods deficit increased from $741.5 billion in 2014 to $758…
December 2015 Trade Gap is $43.4 Billion
The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in December 2015 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $42.2 billion in November (revised) to $43.4 billion in December, as exports decreased and imports increased. The previously published November deficit was $42.4 billion. The goods deficit increased $1.3 billion from November to $62.5 billion in December. The services…
Real Disposable Income Rises in December
Personal income increased 0.3 percent in December, the same increase as in November. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, increased 0.2 percent in December after increasing 0.5 percent in November.
GDP Increases in Fourth Quarter
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.0 percent.
GDP highlights
Industry in Focus: How Health Care and Social Assistance Fared in Third Quarter
Health care is an industry that many of us experience firsthand, whether receiving treatment for an illness or injury or simply getting an annual check-up. In the third quarter of 2015, health care and social assistance was the second-leading contributor to the 2 percent increase in the U.S. economy’s growth, providing 0.38 percentage point to real GDP.
Retail Trade Led Growth in the Third Quarter Gross Domestic Product by Industry
Retail trade; health care and social assistance; and agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting were the leading contributors to the increase in U.S. economic growth in the third quarter of 2015. Overall, 15 of 22 industry groups contributed to the 2.0 percent increase in real GDP in the third quarter.