Special Topics

Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released prototype statistics for personal consumption expenditures, private fixed investment, and net exports of goods for Puerto Rico. These annual statistics cover the time period from 2012 to 2017.

The estimates released today are a major step toward the goal of producing gross domestic product (GDP) statistics for Puerto Rico that are consistent with international guidelines and that are directly comparable to data for other U.S. territories, states, the nation, and many other countries.

New prototype outdoor recreation statistics show state value added, compensation, and employment for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These statistics show that the relative size of the outdoor recreation economy ranged from 5.4 percent of GDP for Hawaii to 1.2 percent for the District of Columbia in 2017.

BEA will release prototype statistics on Sept. 20 showing the role that outdoor recreation – pursuits like bicycling, RVing, and fishing – plays in each state’s economy. This will mark the first time state data are included in BEA’s outdoor recreation statistics.   

An updated set of national outdoor recreation statistics will be released at the same time. Both the national and state data will cover 2012 through 2017.

The digital economy accounted for 6.9 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, or $1.35 trillion, in 2017, according to a new batch of statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

How does that compare with traditional U.S. industries? The digital economy ranked just below professional, scientific, and technical services, which accounted for 7.4 percent of GDP, and just above wholesale trade, with a 6.0 percent share. 

Arts and cultural economic activity grew at an inflation-adjusted 2.9 percent in 2016, increasing faster than the nation’s economy overall. For comparison, U.S. gross domestic product, or GDP, rose 1.6 percent that year.

Among state economies, Nevada posted the fastest arts and culture increase at 14.7 percent (not adjusted for inflation). Performing arts promoters and the movie industry led Nevada’s growth. The District of Columbia and all other states except Louisiana also saw increases in nominal value added; Louisiana’s arts and culture economy declined 13.1 percent.

Take a bow, dancers, art teachers, and museum guides: The roles you and others play in the U.S. economy will be in the spotlight March 19.

That’s when the Bureau of Economic Analysis will release its annual statistics on the economic impact of arts and cultural activities. The data will highlight the sector’s contributions to the gross domestic product, or GDP, of the United States, each of the 50 states, and the District of Columbia.