Data sources
Original publishers, retrieval providers, and dataset links used across Economic Observatory. Reviewed November 10, 2026 against the published exports, database-backed API catalogs, ingestion definitions, and supporting methodology.
The directory distinguishes an original publisher from an intermediary such as FRED or Yahoo Finance. Data refreshes follow the existing collection pipeline; this page does not imply that every source updates in real time.
Sources by dashboard section
| Section | Original publisher | Retrieved through | Coverage and interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markets | Yahoo Finance | Yahoo Finance quote pages and historical-price responses | Provider for the displayed global index quotes and history. Yahoo Finance is an intermediary; the directory links each displayed index. Quotes may be delayed, and market history may be incomplete. |
| CPI | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | FRED | Seven series: CPIAUCSL, CPILFESL, CPIAUCNS, CUUR0100SA0, CUUR0200SA0, CUUR0300SA0, CUUR0400SA0. Headline year-over-year CPI uses the NSA series; national monthly momentum uses SA series. Missing comparison months produce missing changes. |
| Unemployment | BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; CPS for national series | BLS API and LAUS files; FRED for applicable national series | Local monthly rates retain published geography, footnotes, and missing observations. Local area rates are not averaged to manufacture a statewide rate. |
| National and regional GDP | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis | FRED and geographic-series metadata | National series: GDP, GDPC1, A191RL1Q225SBEA, GDPDEF, PCE, GPDI, GCE, EXPGS, IMPGS. Regional views use BEA geographic GDP series retrieved through FRED. PCE is monthly natively and is aggregated to quarterly averages; real chained-dollar components are not additive. |
| Wages | BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages | BLS QCEW data files/API; CPI for inflation adjustment | Employment and wage records retain geography, industry, ownership, period, and suppression status. Real-wage calculations are dashboard-derived, not a separate observed series. |
| People & Places: ACS | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey | 2024 five-year Summary File | Tables B01001 (population), B19013 (household income), B25077 (home value), B17001 (poverty), B15003 (education), B23025 (labor force). These are 2020–2024 estimates, not annual observations. Published margins of error are retained where supplied; derived percentages do not have computed margins of error. |
| Income and poverty trends | Census Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates | Census SAIPE time-series data | Annual income and poverty estimates, with available uncertainty information. SAIPE and ACS estimates remain distinct. |
| Historical population | U.S. Census Bureau | Historical population spreadsheets; 2000/2010 SF1; 2020 redistricting data | Exact historical download and API links appear in the directory. Historical boundary changes limit comparability. Population Estimates Program is also an ingestion source in the broader data infrastructure; its presence does not imply every field is displayed. |
| Maps | U.S. Census Bureau geographic boundary products | Published GeoJSON boundary files | Census geography and FIPS identifiers support the maps. Leaflet is a mapping library, not the origin of the economic data. |
| Education | Virginia Department of Education | Virginia School Quality Profiles downloads | School/division assessment records retain the reporting year, indicator, geography, and suppression status. Missing records are not zero. |
| Energy | U.S. Energy Information Administration; AAA | EIA API/files, State Energy Data System, Monthly Energy Review; AAA public gasoline-price pages | EIA supplies historical energy prices and reference data. AAA supplies current pump-price snapshots. The section also uses DOE AFDC and EIA conversion references; conversions are derived calculations. |
| Recession | BLS; BEA; Federal Reserve; U.S. Department of Labor; NBER | FRED | Series include PAYEMS, INDPRO, W875RX1, ICSA, T10Y3MM, SAHMREALTIME, and USREC. USREC is the NBER recession reference. Dashboard signals and thresholds are derived indicators, not official recession declarations. |
| Time Machine | Original publishers of PAYEMS, UNRATE, CPIAUCSL, INDPRO, W875RX1 | ALFRED/FRED historical vintages | Historical views use stored release-validity intervals. Vintage availability differs from current revised history; unarchived dates must remain unavailable. |
| External accounts | BEA international accounts and national accounts | FRED | Series include BOPGEXP, BOPGIMP, BOPGSTB, BOPSEXP, BOPSIMP, IEABC, IEABCPI, IEABCSI, IIPUSNETIQ, and GDP. Ratios and balances shown by the dashboard are derived from source values. |
Dataset and series directory
This includes exact links recorded in the reviewed metadata plus program and methodology references. Geographic and time-series catalogs may expand; use each chart’s source inspection for the particular selected observations and retrieval dates. A program reference does not imply that every dataset the publisher offers is used here.
105 source links
Calculations, gaps, and revisions
Growth rates, inflation-adjusted values, ratios, rankings, and comparison signals are calculations made from the source observations. Missing and suppressed values remain unavailable. Current data may be revised; historical vintage views are a separate concept. The source directory is a provenance listing, not an independent audit of every observation.
This is an independent personal project, provided as-is without warranties about accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Consult the original source and methodology before relying on a figure.