This week's U.S. economic reports, explained

What it is: The monthly count of how many jobs the economy added or lost, the share of workers who are unemployed, and how much average hourly pay changed.

Why people watch it: It is the most-watched snapshot of the labor market. Strong hiring and faster pay growth point to a strong economy, but can also keep prices and interest rates higher.

For taxpayers and small businesses: If you run a business with employees, pay growth in this report is a handy check on what the market is paying when you set raises and plan payroll costs.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly, usually the first Friday · official page

What it is: The number of people who filed for the first time for state unemployment benefits last week, plus the number still receiving benefits.

Why people watch it: It is the fastest signal of layoffs, because it comes out every week. A steady rise can be an early warning that the job market is weakening.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Unemployment benefits are taxable income on the federal return and are reported to the recipient on Form 1099-G.

Published by the Department of Labor · Weekly, Thursdays · official page

What it is: Counts job openings, hires, quits and layoffs across the country.

Why people watch it: It shows how hard it is for employers to find workers and how confident workers feel. More quits usually mean workers believe they can find a better job.

For taxpayers and small businesses: A hiring market with many openings can push wages up, which matters when you budget for staff or set pay for new hires.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly · official page

What it is: Tracks how much it costs employers to employ a worker: wages and benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans, with the mix of jobs held steady.

Why people watch it: It is a cleaner read on labor costs than average pay, so it is closely watched as a signal for inflation.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Useful for benchmarking raises and benefit costs against what employers across the country are seeing.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly · official page

What it is: Shows what employers pay per hour worked for wages and for benefits such as insurance, paid leave and retirement.

Why people watch it: It breaks labor costs into pay and benefits, so you can see what share of the total each part makes up.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Useful for benchmarking your benefit costs against other employers.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly · official page

What it is: Measures how much output the economy produces for each hour worked, and how much labor costs per unit of output.

Why people watch it: Higher productivity lets businesses pay more without raising prices, so it supports growth in living standards over time.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly · official page

What it is: Average hourly and weekly pay after adjusting for inflation. It shows whether paychecks are buying more or less than before.

Why people watch it: If pay rises faster than prices, workers gain buying power. If prices rise faster, they fall behind.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly, with the CPI · official page

What it is: Jobs and unemployment rates for every state and the District of Columbia, including Illinois.

Why people watch it: The national numbers can hide big differences between states. This report shows which regions are hiring and which are slowing.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Helpful if you hire in more than one state or are thinking about moving staff or an office.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly · official page

What it is: Median weekly pay of full-time workers, broken down by age, sex, race, education and occupation.

Why people watch it: It shows how pay differs across groups of workers and how it changes over time.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly · official page

What it is: Measures how much the prices of everyday goods and services, such as food, housing, gas, medical care and clothing, changed compared with the month before and with a year ago.

Why people watch it: It is the headline inflation number. It affects what your money buys, and the Federal Reserve watches inflation closely when it decides on interest rates.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Inflation reaches the tax system too: Social Security cost-of-living adjustments follow a CPI measure, and many tax amounts, such as the income tax brackets and the standard deduction, are adjusted each year for inflation.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly, mid-month · official page

What it is: Shows how much income households earned, how much they spent and saved, and the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index.

Why people watch it: The PCE price index is the inflation gauge the Federal Reserve uses for its 2% goal, so this report can influence interest-rate decisions.

For taxpayers and small businesses: The saving rate in this report shows whether households are putting money aside or spending it.

Published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis · Monthly · official page

What it is: Measures the change in prices that businesses receive for what they sell, before it reaches the store shelf: materials, parts, wholesale goods and services.

Why people watch it: Rising producer prices can later show up in consumer prices. It is an early hint about where inflation may be heading.

For taxpayers and small businesses: If you buy supplies or inventory for a business, this is an early signal of cost changes you may need to pass on or plan for.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly · official page

What it is: Measures price changes for goods bought from other countries and sold to them, such as oil, machinery, food and consumer goods.

Why people watch it: Prices of imports move with exchange rates and costs overseas, and they can feed into prices at home.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Importers and exporters use it to watch cost trends and the effect of currency moves.

Published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics · Monthly · official page

What it is: The total value of goods and services the country produced, shown as a growth rate. The first (advance) estimate comes about a month after the quarter ends, then it is updated twice as more data arrives.

Why people watch it: It is the broadest measure of the economy. A positive number means the economy grew; a negative number means it shrank. Later estimates can change the picture.

For taxpayers and small businesses: A growing economy generally helps business income. For planning, treat any single quarter as a rough guide rather than a forecast of your own results.

Published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis · Quarterly, with three estimates · official page

What it is: An early estimate of sales at stores, restaurants, gas stations and online sellers.

Why people watch it: Consumer spending is roughly two-thirds of the economy, so this report is a quick read on how willing households are to spend.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Retail and restaurant owners can compare their own sales with the national trend.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly, mid-month · official page

What it is: Counts permits issued for new homes and how many new homes builders started and finished.

Why people watch it: Building is sensitive to mortgage rates and builder confidence, so it is an early sign of how the housing market is feeling.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Real estate investors and builders can use it to see whether new supply is rising or falling.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: The number of newly built single-family homes sold (contracts signed), and the median price.

Why people watch it: It shows how buyers are reacting to prices and mortgage rates.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Useful context if you are buying or selling a home or investment property.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: The dollar value of construction work put in place on homes, offices, factories, roads and other projects.

Why people watch it: Construction is a big employer and an early sign of business and government investment.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: The national homeownership rate and the share of homes and rental units that are empty.

Why people watch it: Low vacancy usually means higher rents and prices; high vacancy can ease them.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Landlords can compare their own vacancy with the national rate.

Published by the Census Bureau · Quarterly · official page

What it is: The value of what the country sold to other countries (exports) and bought from them (imports). A trade deficit means imports were larger than exports.

Why people watch it: Trade affects growth, jobs in industries that export or compete with imports, and the value of the dollar.

For taxpayers and small businesses: If you import or export, it gives context for shipping, currency and demand trends.

Published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: New orders placed with U.S. factories for long-lasting goods such as machinery, vehicles, computers and aircraft.

Why people watch it: Big-ticket orders show how much businesses are investing in equipment, which is a sign of how confident they are about the future.

For taxpayers and small businesses: If you buy equipment for your business, how you write off the cost is a tax question. See our guide on depreciation.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: An early look at the goods trade balance and the stocks of unsold goods held by wholesalers and retailers, released before the full reports.

Why people watch it: Economists use it to update their estimates of growth before the official GDP number.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: Counts the applications people file to start new businesses (Employer Identification Number applications).

Why people watch it: A rise in applications is a sign that more people are starting businesses.

For taxpayers and small businesses: Thinking of starting a business? See our start-up tax guide.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: The full report on factory orders, shipments and stockpiles of unsold goods. It follows the earlier durable-goods report with more detail.

Why people watch it: Orders and shipments show demand for factory goods. Growing inventories can mean sales are slower than expected.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: Combined sales and inventories of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, and the ratio between them.

Why people watch it: Inventories that grow faster than sales can signal that businesses will slow their orders.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: Sales and inventories of wholesalers, the businesses between manufacturers and stores.

Why people watch it: It shows what stores are ordering before it shows up in retail sales.

Published by the Census Bureau · Monthly · official page

What it is: The Federal Reserve committee that sets U.S. interest-rate policy meets and announces whether to raise, lower or hold its target range for the federal funds rate. The statement comes out at 2:00 PM Eastern and the chair holds a press conference at 2:30 PM. Some meetings also publish new economic projections.

Why people watch it: The Fed's rate affects what banks pay on savings and charge on credit cards, car loans, mortgages and business loans.

For taxpayers and small businesses: The IRS interest rate on unpaid tax is tied to the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and is reset every quarter, so Fed moves can eventually change what late tax costs. See our Applicable Federal Rates page for loans between family members and related parties.

Published by the Federal Reserve · Eight times a year · official page

What it is: A detailed written summary of what the Federal Reserve committee discussed at its last meeting, including how members saw inflation, jobs and the risks ahead.

Why people watch it: Markets read the minutes for clues about the next rate decision.

Published by the Federal Reserve · About three weeks after each meeting · official page

A schedule of the government reports and central-bank meetings that describe how the economy is doing, such as jobs, inflation, economic growth, retail sales, housing and interest rates. It tells you when each number is due so you are not surprised by it.

The monthly jobs report, the Consumer Price Index (inflation), the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, GDP (economic growth), retail sales and the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decisions. This page marks them "Key report". Use the filter above the list to show only the key reports.

Automatically at least once every day, and several times on weekdays. The updated time is shown at the top of the list. If a source cannot be reached, the page keeps its last good copy and says so.

Eastern Time (ET). Most government reports come out at 8:30 AM ET or 10:00 AM ET, and the Federal Reserve announces its decisions at 2:00 PM ET.

Yes. Agencies sometimes move or delay a release, and during a government shutdown scheduled reports can be postponed. Always confirm on the agency's own page, which every item links to.

The numbers behind these reports reach taxpayers and small businesses. For example, inflation helps set the yearly adjustments to many tax amounts, interest rates affect loans and the interest the IRS charges on unpaid tax, and wage and hiring trends help owners plan payroll. We explain each report in plain English so you can see why it matters.

No. This page is general information only. It does not recommend buying or selling anything, and it does not replace advice from a qualified professional who knows your situation.