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Federal budget surplus (deficit) as a percentage of GDP, 1947-2006, omitting the Transition Quarter of calendar year 1976. No Republican administration has run a budget surplus since Eisenhower; Republican administrations have run an average budget deficit of 2.5% of GDP, vs. 0.5% of GDP for Democratic administrations.
Quarter-over-quarter change in US GDP, in billions of chained 2000 dollars; and change in GDP ex Federal defense spending
Three measures of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, monthly. U-1 is a measure of persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force. U-3 is the official unemployment rate. U-6 includes total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers. "Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not looking currently for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule."
Government current expenditures as a percentage of GDP, 1929-2007. Red bands indicate Republican administrations, blue bands indicate Democratic administrations.
Households with income over $250,000 (2006), as a percentage of all households
Total income of households with income over $250,000 (2006), as a percentage of all household income
Household income limit (upper) by percentile, as a multiple of the upper income limit of the 20th percentile, 1967-2007 (2007 dollars).
Household income limits (upper) by percentile, 1967-2007, in 2007 dollars.
Seasonally adjusted initial and continuing jobless claims for the weeks ending November 19, 1988 - November 15, 2008
Seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts (in thousands), monthly, Jan 1959-Oct 2008. Housing starts were at their all time lows in October.
US Producer Price Index for October 2008. Reports of deflation may be exaggerated as yet -- it's clear from this chart that energy goods led the price decline (prices paid for crude oil were down 26% after falling 9% in September). Gasoline prices dropped 24.9%; intermediate energy goods fell too, with diesel down 16.4%, following a 6.4% decrease in September, and primary basic organic chemicals prices were down 20.8% after moving down 7.4% in September.
Three measures of unemployment, seasonally adjusted, monthly. U-1 is a measure of persons unemployed 15 weeks or longer, as a percent of the civilian labor force. U-3 is the official unemployment rate. U-6 includes total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers. "Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not looking currently for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule."
Household income limits (upper) by percentile, 1967-2007, in 2007 dollars.
Seasonally adjusted initial and continuing jobless claims for the weeks ending November 19, 1988 - November 15, 2008
Seasonally adjusted annualized housing starts (in thousands), monthly, Jan 1959-Oct 2008. Housing starts were at their all time lows in October.
US Producer Price Index for October 2008. Reports of deflation may be exaggerated as yet -- it's clear from this chart that energy goods led the price decline (prices paid for crude oil were down 26% after falling 9% in September). Gasoline prices dropped 24.9%; intermediate energy goods fell too, with diesel down 16.4%, following a 6.4% decrease in September, and primary basic organic chemicals prices were down 20.8% after moving down 7.4% in September.
