Windows on the Web: Finding Regional Economic Data

By Bruce Kratofil
NABE Webmaster

The January issue of Business Economics includes a Focus on Statistics column by Robert Parker on “Regional Economic Data from Federal Government Agencies: Availability and Access.”  In an example of a synergistic association-wide multi-platform communications strategy, Windows on the Web will provide the links to that data. Descriptions here are from Bob’s article, not from me.

Download the full article here, and follow along with these links.

Portal Sites

Fedstats - provides access to official statistical information produced by the federal government without knowing which federal agency produces which particular statistic. It provides searching and linking capabilities to the more than 100 agencies that are listed in Statistical Programs of The United States Government and that report to Office of Management and Budget expenditures of at least $500,000 per year on statistical activities.

USAgov - provides the public with access to the online information, services, and resources of the federal government and is the U.S. government's official Web portal. Most statistical links are here.

The Agencies

BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis) – a direct link on the home page leads to its regional statistics page providing all of the data from its regional program or the data from each component program, e.g., state and metropolitan area gross domestic product and state and local area personal income.

Also at BEA is BEAFACTS, which reports the latest available estimates of personal income for each state, county, or metropolitan area.

BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) – “Geography” provides a brief summary of ten programs with geographic detail and a link to a Web page for the specific program.

Census -  The Census Bureau’s home page has several links. Under “People and Household Estimates,” the Web page for “Income/State Median Income” identifies the American Community Survey and Annual Social and Economic Supplement as surveys that provide state data. Under “Geography,” the Web page for “Online Cartographic and Geographic Resources” has a link to “State and County Quick Facts.” The “Business & Industry” Web page provides a link to “Economic Statistics by Geography, Sector, and Frequency,” which provides links to most of the bureau’s economic time-series with regional detail and a link to “Local Employment Dynamics.” The second link identifies other special reports, the “CED HotReport” and “Quarterly Workforce Indicators.”

Also at Census is the “Quarterly Workforce Indicators” (QWI), a set of economic indicators that are available online for most states, their counties, and metropolitan statistical areas or MSAs. The indicators are based on wage records in the unemployment insurance system and information from state ES-202 data. Currently the following indicators are available: total employment, net job flows, job creation, new hires, separations, turnover, average monthly earnings, and average new hire earnings.

Energy Information Administration - “State & U.S. Historical Data Overview.” This Web page provides a link to “State Energy Profiles,” which presents a “U.S. Overview,” an interactive narrative, and maps of current EIA data on five topics: prices, reserves and supply, distribution and marketing, consumption and sales, and environment.

Agriculture Department - The Economic Research Service (ERS) home page provides several links to its programs with regional detail. Under “Rural Economy” links are provided to various “data sets” and to topics related to the rural economy, such as employment or population. The “Select Geography” link identifies ERS data sets with either regional or state distributions. The “State Facts” provides a link to a “State Fact Sheets,” a special ERS report that provides a single location for farm-related state data from ERS and other sources. The National Agricultural Statistics Service home page provides several links to its programs with regional detail. “Quick Stats” provides direct links to Web pages with interactive access to NASS state and county data by type of farm product. “Statistics by State” provides links to Web pages for NASS state field offices.

There’s plenty more information in the Focus on Statistics article, so make sure to read it.

WoW Follow-up

In the December 2007 Windows on the Web, we looked at some of the social networking sites that may be useful to a business economist. The new Get Connected group in NABE is using the LinkedIn site as another way to network, a way that generates exposure to people who don’t yet know about this website. You can check it out here.