St. Louis Fed
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Official Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis account. We share economic data and insights. Home to FRED®.
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A Shift in Productivity since GenAI
The information sector is small in total employment, but it’s big in labor productivity growth. AI may be helping this sector improve even faster.
Labor productivity in the information sector has typically been higher than aggregate labor productivity. For example, from 2010 to 2026, it grew at an average annual rate of 7.68% versus 1.22% in the overall economy.
Lately, though, information sector labor productivity has grown faster than usual and considerably faster than in the economy as a whole. From mid-2025 to mid-2026, it grew by 13.70% versus 2.17% in the overall economy.
Check the FRED Blog for the data and more discussion
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The FRED Blog has information and maps based on new data in FRED, which come from new Census Bureau statistical area delineations
Commodities — from the cocoa in your Halloween candy bars to the cotton in your jeans — are building blocks of usable goods and services. Commodity prices are generally driven by supply and demand factors, and understanding these can help you stay informed about the prices consumers see. Our blog explains:
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The information sector accounts for a small fraction of total employment, only 1.8%. But it has generally been an important contributor to aggregate economic growth because of its strong productivity growth. AI may be helping this sector improve even faster. Go to the FRED Blog for the data and more details
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A key challenge for unemployment insurance policy is that jobless workers are not a static group. Both the share of those who qualify for benefits and the share of those who claim them change over the duration of joblessness. A new analysis by St. Louis Fed economist @SerdarBirinci9 and his co-authors examines this dynamic:
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How does the affordability of utilities — electricity, water, natural gas, and others — affect households of different income levels?
Do U.S. households stretch to afford their utility bills? New research examines this question through two complementary measures: cost burden and the trade-offs that occur when paying breaks the budget
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U.S. commercial paper outstanding dipped to $1.50 trillion in the week ending Oct. 28, a decrease of $3.6 billion from a week earlier, per @federalreserve data. Commercial paper comprises short-term, promissory notes issued mostly by corporations
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Commercial and industrial loans at all U.S. commercial banks grew by $5.2 billion to $3.0 trillion in the week ending Oct. 21. See the level over time in FRED:
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Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX MSA is now Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX MSA. Make a note. And check the FRED Blog for details on the @uscensusbureau's new data landscape
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The cost of utilities — like electricity and natural gas — can put pressure on household budgets, particularly for low- and moderate-income families. Read the research:
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The @uscensusbureau has renamed 58 MSAs, graduated nine micropolitan areas to metropolitan areas and added three new MSAs. Check the FRED Blog for the data and details
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Is inflation likely to stay meaningfully above the Fed’s target without additional monetary policy action? During a speech today, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem said he viewed that inflation scenario as more likely than one in which additional policy firming will not be required.
He discussed the U.S. economy and monetary policy in his keynote address at the Shadow Open Market Committee meeting in New York. Following his speech, he participated in a Q&A moderated by Jeffrey Lacker.
View President Musalem’s remarks:
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A New Landscape for Geographic Data
FRED is including the @uscensusbureau’s new array of geographic data and delineations. Here are the highlights:
• No more micropolitan area data (<50,000 residents)
• Full metro status for nine former micropolitan areas
• Debut of three new MSAs
• New names for nearly 60 MSAs
Check the FRED Blog for the FRED data and details
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In the week ending Oct. 29, the average fixed 30-year mortgage rate decreased to 7.24%. The average fixed 15-year mortgage rate ticked down to 6.60%
In September, the U.S. personal saving rate fell for the second consecutive month, to 3.8% of disposable income, down from 4.0% in August
U.S. real #GDP# increased at an annual rate of 3.4% in the third quarter of 2026, according to the “advance” estimate from @BEA_News. This follows an increase of 2.2% in the second quarter of 2026
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Trimmed mean PCE inflation rate — an alternative measure of core inflation from @DallasFed — was 2.3% for the 12 months ending in September, up slightly from August's reading of 2.2%
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The total number of motor vehicles sold in the U.S. fell in September, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.4 million units — a decrease of 3.5% from August and down 3.4% from September 2025
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In the week ending Oct. 24, seasonally adjusted initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits — those filed for the first time after a job loss — decreased by 1,000, to 194,000. The four-week moving average ticked down by 1,250 to 196,750
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