The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog

Broad Growth Across States in 2014

Real GDP increased in 48 states and the District of Columbia in 2014. Leading industry contributors were professional, scientific, and technical services; nondurable goods manufacturing; and real estate and rental and leasing. Professional, scientific, and technical services was the largest contributor to U.S. real GDP by state growth in 2014. This industry contributed to real GDP growth in 46 states and the District of Columbia.

A Snapshot of the Seasonal Adjustment Process for GDP

A lot of work goes into measuring a $17 trillion economy. And, at the Bureau of Economic Analysis it’s a process that never really stops.

In addition to calculating Gross Domestic Product, a key economic indicator of how the U.S. economy is faring, BEA also produces thousands of related data points each month that flow from our GDP reports and give us rich detail about consumer spending, business investment and government activity.

2014 GDP by State Statistics to be Released June 10

Statistics on the 2014 economic performance of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, will be released Wednesday, June 10 at 8:30 a.m. EDT by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

April 2015 Trade Gap is $40.9 Billion

The U.S monthly international trade deficit decreased in April 2015 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit decreased from $50.6 billion in March (revised) to $40.9 billion in April, as exports increased and imports decreased. The previously published March deficit was $51.4 billion. The goods deficit decreased $9.3 billion from March to $60.7 billion in April. The services surplus increased $…

Disposable Income Rises in April

Personal income increased 0.4 percent in April after increasing less than 0.1 percent in March. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, rose 0.2 percent in April after rising 0.1 percent in March.

Current-dollar disposable personal income (DPI), after-tax income, increased 0.4 percent in April after rising less than 0.1 percent in March, reflecting increases in income receipts on assets and wages…

First-Quarter GDP Revised Down: "Second" Estimate of GDP

Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2015, according to the “second” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The growth rate was revised down 0.9 percentage point from the “advance” estimate released in April. In the fourth quarter of 2014, real GDP increased 2.2 percent.

GDP highlights The first-quarter decline in real GDP reflected declines in the following:

BEA's New Data Tool Provides Fast Access to Trade and Investment Stats for Countries

A new data tool–International Trade and Investment Country Facts Application–on the Bureau of Economic Analysis website gives users a snapshot of statistics on trade and investment between the United States and another country by simply clicking on a world map.

These fast facts at your fingertips can include:

BEA Works to Mitigate Potential Sources of Residual Seasonality in GDP

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is working on a multi-pronged action plan to improve its estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) by identifying and mitigating potential sources of “residual” seasonality. That’s when seasonal patterns remain in data even after they are adjusted for seasonal variations.

Accounting for Seasonality in GDP

BEA’s estimates of GDP are seasonally adjusted to remove fluctuations that normally occur at about the same time and the same magnitude each year.  Seasonal adjustment ensures that the remaining movements in GDP, or any other economic series, better reflect true patterns in economic activity.  Examples of factors that may influence seasonal patterns include weather, holidays, and production schedules. (See “Why and how are…

New FAQs Aim to Help Private Funds Determine When They Have to File a Survey to BEA for U.S. Direct Investment Abroad

Gaining a detailed picture of the role the United States plays in the global market place is made easier by the wealth of international investment statistics produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  So it’s critically important that we get the most accurate information possible from businesses, private funds, and others who fill out our BEA surveys.

Coming in July: BEA to Launch New Tools for Analyzing Economic Growth

The Bureau of Economic Analysis plans to launch two new statistics that will serve as tools to help businesses, economists, policymakers and the American public better analyze the performance of the U.S. economy. These tools will be available on July 30 and emerge from an annual BEA process where improvements and revisions to GDP data are implemented. BEA created these two new tools in response to demand from our customers.

Average of…

BEA's Brent Moulton to Receive 2015 Julius Shiskin Award

Brent Moulton, Associate Director for National Economic Accounts of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), has been selected to receive the 2015 Julius Shiskin Memorial Award for Economic Statistics. The award recognizes unusually original and important contributions in the development of economic statistics or in the use of statistics in interpreting the economy.