Bureau of Economic Analysis

The U.S. current-account deficit narrowed by $6.3 billion, or 2.0 percent, to $303.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The revised third-quarter deficit was $310.3 billion. The fourth-quarter deficit was 4.1 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product, down from 4.2 percent in the third quarter.

A blog from BEA Director Vipin Arora

In the alphabet soup of BEA acronyms, you’ve probably heard of GDP (gross domestic product). You might have heard of PCE (personal consumption expenditures, a fancy word for consumer spending). And you may have come across DPI (disposal personal income). But have you ever heard of RIMS II?

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in January 2025 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $98.1 billion in December (revised) to $131.4 billion in January, as imports increased more than exports. The goods deficit increased $33.5 billion in January to $156.8 billion. The services surplus increased $0.2 billion in January to $25.4 billion.

Personal income increased $221.9 billion (0.9 percent at a monthly rate) in January, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $194.3 billion (0.9 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $30.7 billion (0.2 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the second estimate. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.1 percent. The increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected increases in consumer spending and government spending that were partly offset by a decrease in investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.

The travel and tourism industry—as measured by the real output of goods and services sold directly to visitors— increased 7.0 percent in 2023 after increasing 20.8 percent in 2022, according to the most recent statistics from BEA’s Travel and Tourism Satellite Account.

The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in December 2024 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $78.9 billion in November (revised) to $98.4 billion in December, as imports increased and exports decreased. The goods deficit increased $18.9 billion in December to $123.0 billion. The services surplus decreased $0.6 billion in December to $24.5 billion.

Personal income increased $92.0 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in December, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $79.7 billion (0.4 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $133.6 billion (0.7 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current…

The Bureau of Economic Analysis is streamlining our news release packages to reduce duplication and make it easier to find the information you need.

We have phased out news release highlights, which began years ago as abbreviated one-page documents for delivery by fax. The highlights mostly repeated news release content. In some cases, such as U.S. Personal Income and Outlays, extra elements like charts previously included in the…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to the advance estimate. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.1 percent. The increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected increases in consumer spending and government spending that were partly offset by a decrease in investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.