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Subject Guide: Economics

How Do I Find?

 

Macroeconomic Data

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis – Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)

  • browse Categories to find the type of data you’re seeking (for example: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Components — Personal Income and Outlays — Disposable Personal Income)
  • look in the “Freq.” (frequency) column to select the reporting period you need [W = weekly; M = monthly; Q = quarterly; A = annual]
  • select the link from the data description to display a data chart (usually a 5-year graph)
  • below the chart, look for alternate date ranges (1-year, 10-year, etc.)
  • above the chart, note options for viewing and downloading data
  • download is usually available as a plain text file (.txt) or Microsoft Excel file (.xls)

Bureau of Economic Analysis

  • includes national, regional, international, and industry data

Bureau of Labor Statistics

  • includes inflation and consumer spending; wages, earnings and benefits; employment and unemployment; productivity; industry data; and more

Find industry data from the Economic Census – U.S Census Bureau

  • Economic Census → Geographic Area Series → Select State(s) and Industry (drill down for specific NAICS code)
  • American Fact Finder →  Select Geographic Area / Industry or Product / Data Set
  • For additional help, see the book Industry research using the economic census: how to find it, how to use it by Jennifer C. Boettcher and Leonard M. Gaines; Location:  Reference Collection   Call Number:  HC101 .B594 2004

 

Interest Rates

Federal Reserve Bank – Selected interest rates

  • includes federal funds rate; prime rate; t-bill rates; discount rate

Prices

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Consumer price index

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Producer price index

 

International Economic Data

IMF – International Financial Statistics (IFS)

  • Change the retrieval period first!
  • Use the Browse feature to select Country Tables , World Tables , or Economic Concepts
  • Follow steps to select series and display results (in HTML, Excel, CSV)
  • For explanation of statistical series — as well as symbols, codes, and abbreviations — use in tandem with print counterpart (in Library Current Periodicals room)

GlobalEdge (Michigan State University) –  International Data Base

 

Economics Research

Find articles using databases available through the TCNJ Library

Find working papers in Economics

 

Other Economics Resources

Economist.com – Economics A-Z

American Economic Association – Resources for Economists on the Internet

Rutgers University Libraries – Research Guide for Economics

 

Writing Resources / Style Guides

Citation & Style Guides (TCNJ)

Guide to Style Manuals (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism (Duke University)