The takeaway Measures of household financial well-being don’t always align with consumer sentiment. You can feel relatively secure about your finances while still being pessimistic about the overall economy. Are you doing OK? In an earlier post, we described a measure of household financial well-being…
The takeaway The most recent measure of the cost of owning a home (vs. renting a home) remains near historical peaks, suggesting renting today is a relatively better financial choice for housing. To own or not to own? Which is the better financial choice—owning or…
The takeaway More workers are using generative AI tools, using them more often, and saving more time because of them, according to new survey data in FRED. The survey Economists Alexander Bick, Adam Blandin, and David Deming built the Generative Artificial Intelligence Adoption Tracker using…
National employment growth in the second quarter of 2026 accelerated slightly to 0.3% compared with one year ago. However, this aggregate figure conceals wide variation in job growth across U.S. states: 38 states experienced job growth, while 12 states plus the District of Columbia experienced…
The takeaway Employment of software coders has decelerated sharply since 2022. Recent research suggests this job-specific shock isn’t caused by a slowing industry but likely from the emergence of AI tools. What employment data show Our FRED graph above shows annual employment data for 1991-2025…
The takeaway The federal minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate employers are required to pay workers. It’s been $7.25 per hour for a while now. State minimum wages are a different story: Many are higher than the federal minimum, but the benefits can vary…
The name In the 1980s, Texas had a banking crisis whose causes included shocks in oil prices and real estate investments. In response, Gerard Cassidy of the Royal Bank of Canada developed the Texas ratio metric to assess a bank’s credit risk in that state.…
The takeaway Small businesses with lower credit risk tend to receive all the financing they seek more often than businesses with higher credit risk, which may be newer, smaller, and more in need of financing. Small business credit Fed Small Business is a collection of…
The quarterly banking profile of FDIC-insured institutions provides an overview of their aggregate financial condition, including data on bank earnings, loan and deposit activity, and asset quality. According to theses profiles, mortgage-backed securities make up more than half of the total assets held on their…
The FRED Blog has discussed why employment in retail and postal services peak around the Christmas holidays. Today we tap into a 2018 research piece from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to discuss why construction employment may follow different patterns across states. Our FRED…
FRED has not only current data series but also historic data series, some of which are very old. As we’ve mentioned on this blog, the oldest series in FRED is population data for the United Kingdom, dating back to 1086! The next 41 oldest series…
The recent AI boom has renewed debate about how official statistics capture changes in productivity growth and how any lags or limitations might impact monetary policy. For example, in the 1990s, some believed that low measures of productivity weren’t capturing the true benefits from new…
The takeaway Crude oil is used to produce jet fuel. Changes in crude oil prices, like the ones since March 2026, can affect jet fuel prices, which may or may not affect airfares. Crude oil, jet fuel, and airfares Fluctuations in the price of crude…
The takeaway The unemployment rate includes only those who are actively seeking a job, and seeking a job involves different incentives for married couples versus single heads of household. Unemployment by marriage status Our FRED graph above shows the unemployment rate for married men (blue…
From last May to this May, manufacturing employment decreased by 0.4%. This number may seem small, but it’s a nationwide figure that can hide considerable variation across US states. So, in the FRED map above, we show state-specific numbers for manufacturing employment as of May…
On June 25, 2026, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released real GDP data for all US states for the first quarter of 2026. The FRED map above shows the annualized growth rates from the previous quarter: Red denotes contraction (less than 0% growth), light green…
The FRED Blog recently discussed who holds Treasury securities in the US and abroad. Today, we answer a related question: How do Treasury securities fit into the overall portfolio of US financial assets held overseas? Our FRED graph above uses data from the Treasury International…
The takeaway When tariffs were relatively stable, prices for durable goods such as appliances, electronics, and furniture were declining by as much as 3% year-over-year. But in 2025, the effective tariff rate surged to over 11% and durable goods prices began increasing by 2% to…
The takeaway Although data center construction and semiconductor purchases are both related to the AI boom, changes in their prices may be occurring at different stages of the investment process. Producer price index Our FRED graph above shows the producer price index for semiconductor and…
The takeaway Expectations about personal finance conditions are at the heart of consumer confidence‚ and that confidence impacts spending, saving, and overall economic activity. The Bankrate Consumer Survey Our FRED graph above shows data from the Bankrate Consumer Survey, conducted annually each November or December.…
