Economic Statistics
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a division of the US Department of Labor whose primary purpose is to collect, analyze and disseminate data on economic conditions in the US, including labor market conditions, price changes and working conditions. You can find local area unemployment statistics using the Local Area Unemployment Statistics database. The BLS Glossary provides definitions for the various types of data and statistics that you will encounter on this site.
- The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) promotes a better understanding of the U.S. economy by providing the most timely, relevant, and accurate economic accounts data in an objective and cost-effective manner.
- The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides data on housing, income, public housing and housing discrimination. Data sets can be found at www.huduser.org.
- The Administration for Children and Families is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. ACF promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals and communities.
- The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services. ASPE advises on policy development in health, disability, human services, data and science, and provides advice and analysis on economic policy. Their data resources page provides numerous links to important health-related survey data.
Industry Information
- Nexis UniAn interdisciplinary, full-text database of over 18,000 sources including newspapers, journals, wire services, newsletters, company reports and SEC filings, case law, government documents, transcripts of broadcasts, and selected reference works. Formerly LexisNexis Academic.
- IBISWorldIBISWorld provides industry research reports and profiles for over 700 United States industries as well as a wide range of industries in China. Business reports for five categories: industry market research, industry risk ratings, company research, global industry research, and economic and demographic data. Each report provides key statistics, market characteristics and segmentation, industry conditions, leading competitors, industry performance analysis and future outlook.
Understanding the Unemployment Rate
- Unemployment Rate PrimerUnderstanding how the headline unemployment rate (U-3) is calculated.