The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog

National and industry statistics for the previous five years will be updated Sept. 26 as part of BEA’s regular annual updates to gross domestic product and related estimates. Updates to state and local statistics will begin Sept. 27.

Every year, usually in January, I feel absolutely committed to getting a better handle on my finances. All I want to understand—not just at the end of the year, but throughout the year—is exactly what is coming in, what is going out, and what I have left over. Yet I can never seem to calculate these “personal profits,” nor how far I am from the mythical financial goals I’m supposed to have. Maybe my struggles are why I find our estimates of corporate profits at BEA so remarkable.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis updated its prototype measures of economic well-being and growth today and for the first time released open-source code that allows users to tailor the charts and tables to meet their needs. 

Personal income increased $87.6 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in August. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes— increased $46.6 billion (0.2 percent).

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023, according to the “third” estimate. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent (revised).

Personal income increased $69.5 billion (0.3 percent at a monthly rate) in June. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes— increased $67.5 billion (0.3 percent).

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the second quarter of 2023, according to the "advance" estimate. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.0 percent.

The outdoor recreation economy accounted for 1.9 percent ($454.0 billion) of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) for the nation in 2021. At the state level, outdoor recreation value added as a share of GDP ranged from 4.8 percent in Hawaii to 1.3 percent in New York and Connecticut.

At the end of September, BEA will update five years of U.S. gross domestic product and related statistics, as well as GDP statistics for industries and for each state.

Personal income increased $107.2 billion, or 0.5 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $185.0 billion, or 1.1 percent, in March. The increase in personal income primarily reflected an increase in compensation.

By the end of April, key national economic indicators will be on their original 2019 schedule, as the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ timetable of releases continues to recover from disruptions earlier in the year.

Arts and cultural economic activity grew at an inflation-adjusted 2.9 percent in 2016, increasing faster than the nation’s economy overall. For comparison, U.S. gross domestic product, or GDP, rose 1.6 percent that year.