Data from BEA’s National Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs) are available in over 350 various tables. Tables are labeled using a three-number system, with numbers separated by “.”
The first number indicates in which account area or special group the tables belong. The account areas are:
- Domestic Product and Income
- Personal Income and Outlays
- Government Current Receipts and Expenditures
- Foreign Transactions
- Saving and Investment
- Income and Employment by Industry
- Supplemental Tables
The second number sequences the tables in a given section, and provides information on the specific types of estimates presented in the table. Tables with the same second number assignment represent a family of tables that generally display the same table stubs and series. The kind of information varies within the account areas and special groups.
The third number tells in what form the estimates will appear. They are:
- Percent change in real levels from preceding period
- Contributions to percent change in real aggregates (such as real GDP)
- Quantity indexes
- Price indexes
- Current-dollar levels
- Real (chained) dollar levels
- Percent change in price index from preceding period
- Contributions to percent change in price indexes for aggregates (such as GDP)
- Implicit price deflators
- Percentage shares of aggregates (such as GDP)
Additionally, table titles also indicate whether estimates are on a monthly (M), quarterly (Q), and/or annual (A) basis.
For example, Table 5.4.4 “Price Indexes for Private Fixed Investment in Structures by Type (A)” :
- The first number, 5, indicates that this table is located in the Saving and Investment section of tables;
- The second number is 4 which indicates this is a table for structures;
- The third number is 4 which indicates this is a price index table;
- And, finally, the “(A)” indicates that the table shows annual estimates.