Bureau of Economic Analysis

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 3.4 percent in the third quarter of 2026 (July, August, and September), according to the advance estimate released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). In the second quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent. The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the third quarter were increases in investment, consumer spending, and government spending that were partly…

Personal income increased $54.5 billion (0.2 percent at a monthly rate) in September, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $52.7 billion (0.2 percent), and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $113.1 billion (0.5 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal…

BEA’s latest look at state consumer spending shows increases in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2025. Spending increased the most in Florida, at 7.0 percent, and the least in California, at 4.2 percent. 

In comparison, consumer spending—also called personal consumption expenditures, or PCE—increased 5.3 percent nationwide in 2025. These numbers are based on current dollars (not adjusted for inflation). 

The U.S. goods and services trade deficit increased in August 2026 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $92.8 billion in July (revised) to $105.6 billion in August, as imports increased more than exports. The goods deficit increased $12.8 billion in August to $136.6 billion. The services surplus increased less than $0.1 billion in August to $31.0 billion.

A blog post from BEA Director Vipin Arora

I’d be willing to bet that the most effective and innovative places you’ve worked have had one thing in common: Great people. That’s certainly been my experience at BEA. While we make use of some remarkable technology, it’s really our people’s expertise and creativity—their human capital—that allows us to produce so many high-quality statistics.

Personal income increased $66.6 billion (0.2 percent at a monthly rate) in August, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $68.6 billion (0.3 percent), and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $190.8 billion (0.9 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026 (April, May, and June), according to the third estimate released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.5 percent (revised). The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the second quarter were consumer spending, investment, and exports. Imports, which are a subtraction in the…

The U.S. current-account deficit resulting from international economic transactions widened by $33.4 billion, or 15.7 percent, to $246.0 billion in the second quarter of 2026, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The revised first-quarter deficit was $212.6 billion. The second-quarter deficit was 3.0 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product, up from 2.7 percent in the first quarter.

A blog post from BEA Director Vipin Arora

“The reporting system that has been developed under the Social Security and Railroad Retirement Acts approaches the ideal as a source for income estimates.”

That statement, tucked away on page 63 of the first methodological handbook for the national accounts, is as true today as it was in 1951.

A blog post from BEA Director Vipin Arora

My sons complain a lot about their chores—especially cutting the grass. I wonder if it would make them feel better to know that all their time sweating in the sun pushing a mower gets measured by BEA through our household production statistics. They might be even more excited to know the statistics are also capturing the other (unpaid) fun they have around the house like cleaning…