Teacher Resources: Economic Barometer

These thirteen benchmarks are provided as an overview of the performance of the economy. Each one is accompanied by its definition and explanation of its composition and use. Click the links below the row title to see longer time series of the data, definitions, sources, and uses. Dates of key political events, major legislative, administrative, and Federal Reserve policy actions are designated on the graphs by red dots. These benchmarks, especially in combination, are intended to help teachers and students and others readily locate and observe the fundamentals of the evolving national economy. (To make these measures available in easily useful form, many other series and components of the economy and statements of analysis have been forgone.)