The BEA Wire | BEA's Official Blog

August 2023 Trade Gap is $58.3 Billion

The U.S. goods and services trade deficit decreased from $64.7 billion in July (revised) to $58.3 billion in August, as exports increased and imports decreased. The goods deficit decreased $5.5 billion to $84.5 billion, and the services surplus increased $1.0 billion to $26.2 billion.

Personal Consumption Expenditures by State, 2022

Nationally, personal consumption expenditures (PCE), in current dollars, increased 9.2 percent in 2022 after increasing 12.9 percent in 2021. PCE increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with the percent change ranging from 11.8 percent in Idaho to 6.4 percent in Louisiana.

BEA Milestone: We’ve Got Your ‘Harmonized’ Number

A blog post from BEA Director Vipin Arora

I recently bought a pair of shorts that fit just right. They were so good that I bought a pair of jeans from the same brand. Somehow—and we've all been here—the jeans fit tighter than the shorts, even though they were made by the same company. This isn't too different from what I sometimes go through as a data user.

Personal Income by State, 2nd Quarter 2023

Personal income, in current dollars, increased in 49 states and the District of Columbia in the second quarter of 2023, with the percent change ranging from 6.1 percent in New York and the District of Columbia to –2.7 percent in Maine.

Personal Income and Outlays, August 2023

Personal income increased $87.6 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in August. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes— increased $46.6 billion (0.2 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of personal consumption expenditures (PCE), personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments—increased $86.0 billion (0.4 percent) and consumer spending increased $83.6 billion (0.4 percent). Personal…

Gross Domestic Product (Third Estimate) and Corporate Profits (Revised Estimate), Second Quarter 2023

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023, according to the “third” estimate. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 2.2 percent (revised). The increase in the second quarter primarily reflected increases in business investment, consumer spending, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by a decrease in exports. Imports, which are a subtraction in the…

U.S. International Investment Position, 2nd Quarter 2023

The U.S. net international investment position, the difference between U.S. residents’ foreign financial assets and liabilities, was –$18.00 trillion at the end of the second quarter of 2023, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Assets totaled $33.58 trillion, and liabilities were $51.58 trillion. At the end of the first quarter, the net investment position was –$16.74 trillion (revised).

Experimental Data Map Health Care Estimates in GDP to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Framework

Today BEA is introducing new experimental data that map our health care estimates in gross domestic product to the framework of CMS’ National Health Expenditures Account, allowing researchers to get an earlier look at 2022 health care spending numbers. The experimental data show health care spending in 2022 rose to more than $4.3 trillion, while the share of GDP declined to 17.1 percent, from a 17.5 percent share in 2021. 

U.S. Current-Account Deficit Narrows in 2nd Quarter 2023

The U.S. current-account deficit, which reflects the combined balances on trade in goods and services and income flows between U.S. residents and residents of other countries, narrowed by $2.4 billion, or 1.1 percent, to $212.1 billion in the second quarter of 2023. The narrowing primarily reflected expanded surpluses on services and on primary income that were mostly offset by an expanded deficit on goods. The second-quarter deficit was 3.2…

Health Care Statistics Updated With Improved Drug Price Data

The Bureau of Economic Analysis today updated its supplemental health care statistics with an improved methodology that shows the growing role of prescription drug rebates over two decades. After subtracting the rebates, BEA's estimate of health care spending in 2020 was reduced by $158 billion, or 5.3 percent, from the previous estimate for 2020.

July 2023 Trade Gap is $65.0 Billion

The U.S. goods and services trade deficit increased from $63.7 billion in June (revised) to $65.0 billion in July, as imports increased more than exports. The goods deficit increased $2.0 billion to $90.0 billion, and the services surplus increased $0.7 billion to $25.0 billion.

Benchmark Updates of GDP and More Starting Sept. 28

For the first time, the Bureau of Economic Analysis will produce its benchmark updates of the nation’s gross domestic product and related industry and state statistics within the same timeframe. The updates will begin with initial results Sept. 28 and 29.

Previously, the benchmark updates of national, industry, and state data were conducted separately and spread over five months. Coordinating these statistics allows data users to…