Economy articles
These reports cover the financial forces that affect daily American life. Discover how exports and imports impact US taxes, debt, and more.
How active has the 2025 hurricane season been?
Four tropical storms and zero hurricanes so far in 2025. In the Atlantic Ocean, tropical storms and hurricanes are the most dangerous designations of storms that are collectively known as tropical cyclones. The average number of such storms per year for the prior decade (2015 to 2024) was 18. That’s the highest 10-year average on record, based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data dating back to 1851.
Updates weeklyWhat is the average wage in the US?
About $1.24K per week in June 2025, 0.7% higher than a year before. The average weekly wage, the typical earnings that employees bring home for one week of work, is a valuable indicator to assess economic conditions, labor market health, and wage trends.
Updates monthlyWhat is the income of a US household?
About $77,700 in median income in 2023. Household income is the total money received in a year — wages, pensions, investments, public assistance, and more — by everyone in a household over 15.
Updates annuallyWhat is the labor force participation rate in the US?
It was 62.3% in June 2025. The labor force participation rate measures the percent of people ages 16 and older engaged in the labor market, including those who are working or who are unemployed but actively looking for a job.
Updates monthlyAre wages keeping up with inflation?
Yes. From June 2024 to June 2025, wages grew 0.7 percentage points faster than inflation. Nominal wages — the literal dollars earned regardless of cost of living — increased by 3.4% while inflation stood at 2.7%. When wage growth outpaces inflation, it indicates that workers are experiencing an increase in purchasing power from the previous year.
Updates monthlyHow many civilian jobs are in the US federal government?
About 2.96 million, as of May 2025. Federal jobs include all jobs ranging from janitors to air traffic controllers to nurses to postal workers and more. (Enlisted service people are considered government employees but aren’t included in this figure because they’re not civilians.) Out of the 159.6 million nonfarm jobs in the US, 1.9% are in the federal government, the nation’s largest employer. Another way to look at it: The federal government is responsible for one in every 50 jobs.
Updates monthlyHow much does the federal government spend on SNAP every year?
About $100.3 billion during fiscal year (FY) 2024. That’s 1.5% of all federal spending. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as the Food Stamp program, is administered by the Department of Agriculture providing food assistance to low-income people.
Updates annuallyHow much revenue does the federal government collect from tariffs?
$77 billion in FY 2024. This figure reflects revenue from tariffs and other import-related fees, also known as customs duties. Customs duties are taxes and fees paid by US importers and collected by US Customs and Border Protection on goods imported into the country, which generate revenue for the federal government.
Updates monthlyWhat is the value of US trade?
$3.23 trillion in exports and $4.14T in imports in 2024. According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, trade fuels economic growth, supports domestic jobs, raises living standards, and makes goods and services more affordable.
Updates monthlyHow many people live in subsidized housing in the United States?
About 9.05 million people in 2023, or about 2.0 people per unit. Subsidized housing options vary by location, ranging from high-rise or garden-style apartments to single-family dwellings, duplexes, and more. On average, residents in 2023 had lived in their units for ten years and two months.
What is the poverty rate in the US?
About 11.1% of the population as of 2023. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2023, 36.8 million people lived in poverty.
Updates annuallyHow much do teachers get paid in the US?
About $63,000 per year in 2024. That’s the median annual wage for pre-K-12 teachers across the United States, based on estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The median marks the middle point—half of teachers earn more and half earn less. The lowest-paid 10% earned $46,800 or less, while the highest-paid 10% earned $102,000 or more.
Updates monthlyWhat countries receive the most foreign aid from the US?
In fiscal year (FY) 2023 — the most recent fully-reported year — Ukraine received $16.6 billion, the most of any country. This amount reflects disbursements, a measure of foreign aid that captures when money is actually transferred out of US government accounts. Foreign aid is reported by more than 20 agencies within the federal government that fund foreign assistance activities.
US Federal Taxes: How the US Federal Government is Funded
The federal government collected $4.9 trillion in revenue in 2024, 99% of which came from taxes. How much does the average American pay? And who pays the most?
US trading partners, imports and exports, and how tariffs factor in
In 2024, the US imported $4.1 trillion and exported $3.2 trillion in goods and services. Higher tariffs can raise prices and the impact on US jobs is a complex issue. Join Steve as he talks through US trade, tariffs and their impact, US trade partners, trade agreements, and more.
How much foreign aid does the US provide overall?
About $99.8 billion in aid was promised for fiscal year (FY) 2023, the most recent fully-reported year. The United States gives foreign assistance to provide humanitarian aid and support peace, security, and economic development around the world. Investing in global security and stability serves US national security interests by creating strategic and economic connections with other countries.
Updates monthlyHow much wealth does the American middle class have?
Around $12.9 trillion, or around 8% of all household wealth in the US in Q1 2025. Wealth, also referred to as net worth, is the total value of what people own minus debt like credit card balances and mortgages. If this wealth was divided equally among all middle-class households, each would have roughly $481,000 in wealth.
Updates quarterlyWhat is the unemployment rate in the US right now?
About 4.2% in July 2025. That's unchanged from a year before. The unemployment rate is the percentage of people in the labor force who are actively looking for work but not currently employed. It's a common way to measure the health of the job market and economy.
Updates monthlyWhat goes into the monthly jobs report?
The latest edition of the Bureau of Labor Statistics's (BLS) monthly jobs report, released August 1, 2025, reported “little change” in jobs numbers since April. Citing the report, President Trump directed his team to fire the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer.What does the jobs report show?The August update showed 73,000 jobs added in July.The report also customarily revises recent months' data as the agency receives more information from businesses. In August, the BLS revised May jobs numbers from 144,000 to 19,000 and June from 147,000 to 14,000.
Aug 1, 2025Who doesn’t pay federal income taxes?
In 2022, 31.4% of tax filers paid no federal individual income tax. If deductions and credits reduce a filer’s taxable income to $0, they don’t have to pay federal income tax.
Jul 22, 2025