Federal statistical agency
Appears in 9 stories
Publishes the monthly Employment Situation report and JOLTS survey
US factories added 9,000 jobs in September, down 40% from August's revised 15,000. The gains clustered in durable goods — machinery plus plastics and rubber products — tied to the data center construction boom.
Updated Yesterday
Produces the monthly jobs report
The US economy added 29,000 jobs in September, less than a third of the 90,000 forecasters expected. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% as 485,000 people entered the labor force.
Updated 3 days ago
Released the September report showing nearly flat hiring and a 4.2% unemployment rate
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark rate by a quarter point on September 16, the first hike in three years, to a range of 3.75% to 4.00%. Two weeks later, hiring stalled: September payrolls rose just 29,000 and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.
Updated Oct 5
Recovering from shutdown-related data gaps
Five years into the inflation fight, prices still run above the Fed's 2% target, and the central bank has reversed course to tighten. After cutting rates six times from September 2024 to December 2025, the FOMC voted unanimously on September 16 to raise its benchmark rate a quarter point to 3.75% to 4.00% — the first increase since 2023.
Updated Oct 3
Publishes the data behind the record-low layoffs
Construction firms laid off 99,000 workers in August, the fewest in any month since the government began tracking the figure in December 2000. The industry had 251,000 open jobs on the last day of August.
Updated Sep 30
Publishes CPI data showing 3.4% annual inflation in August
The University of Michigan's final September consumer sentiment reading came in at 48.1, the second-lowest since the survey began in 1952. That is just above the preliminary 47.8 released September 11. The Fed raised its benchmark rate to a range of 3.75%-4% on September 16, its first hike since 2023.
Updated Sep 29
Released the February 2026 Employment Situation report on March 6
For the past year and a half, the Federal Reserve has been carefully lowering interest rates, trying to guide the economy toward a soft landing after the post-pandemic inflation surge. On March 6, 2026, two pieces of news arrived simultaneously that may have closed that window. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the United States economy shed 92,000 jobs in February—the worst monthly reading in years. Brent crude oil held above $85 after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, choking off roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 785 points as traders priced in what many had feared but few expected to see confirmed in a single morning: the ingredients for stagflation.
Updated May 30
Primary source of US consumer expenditure data
In 1901, the typical American family spent 80 cents of every dollar on food, clothing, and shelter. Today that figure is under 50 cents. The remaining half now flows into healthcare, entertainment, education, transportation, and services that barely existed a century ago.
Updated May 22
Released delayed Oct–Nov jobs report Dec 16, confirming sharp labor market deterioration; October household survey permanently missing
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points on December 10, 2025, in a deeply divided 9–3 vote—the most dissents in six years, bringing the funds rate to 3.5–3.75%. Minutes released December 30 revealed the decision was 'finely balanced,' with officials split over whether weak hiring or inflation poses the greater risk.
Updated May 10
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