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Researchers & Academics

Datasets, APIs, and archives for economic research and academic study.

How to use this page

FRED, NBER, and the Penn World Table are good starting points for most macro and cross-country research. Use the topic filters to narrow by subject area, and check each tool's description for what kind of downloads or APIs it offers — most academic-grade sources here are free to use, though a few require institutional access for full datasets.

Atlanta Fed GDPNow

Real-time GDP growth nowcast updated throughout the quarter.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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Bank of England Statistical Interactive Database

UK central bank rates, money, and lending data.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis)

Official US GDP, personal income, and trade data direct from the source agency.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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BIS Data Portal

Official global monetary and financial statistics from the Bank for International Settlements.

FreeBest for: Researchers, policy professionals, and analysts examining global monetary and financial conditions

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BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Official US employment, wage, and price data direct from the source agency.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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BLS CPI Databases

Official Consumer Price Index data, including regional and category breakdowns.

FreeBest for: Business Owners Analysts

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Chicago Fed National Activity Index

Weighted index of 85 economic indicators summarizing overall economic activity.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Cleveland Fed Inflation Nowcasting

Real-time CPI and PCE inflation estimates ahead of official releases.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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Cleveland Fed Median CPI

Alternative inflation measure that strips out extreme price swings.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Damodaran Online

NYU professor Aswath Damodaran's free valuation and market data spreadsheets.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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DataUSA.io

Visual explorer for US public economic and demographic data by place, industry, and occupation.

FreeBest for: Students Educators

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ECB Data Portal

European Central Bank's full statistical database on rates and monetary data.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Eurostat

Official statistical office of the European Union; EU-wide economic data.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Explore Census Data

Explore U.S. Census Bureau tables, maps, profiles, and public-use microdata.

Best for: Researchers Academics

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FHFA House Price Index

Official US house price index based on conforming mortgage transactions.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Massive free database of US and international economic time series; the default source most other tools pull from.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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FRED Blog

Short, accessible explainers pairing FRED data with real-world context.

FreeBest for: Students Educators

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IMF Data

International macroeconomic and financial statistics, including World Economic Outlook datasets.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Indeed Hiring Lab

Labor-market insights drawn from Indeed's own data.

FreeBest for: Business Owners Analysts

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JOLTS

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey; openings, hires, quits data.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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LinkedIn Economic Graph

Labor market insights drawn from LinkedIn's global professional network data.

FreeBest for: Business Owners Analysts

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Nasdaq Data Link (formerly Quandl)

Financial and alternative datasets via API, both free and premium.

FreemiumBest for: Researchers Academics

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NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research)

Academic research papers and datasets; official US recession dating.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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NY Fed Nowcast

Weekly GDP growth estimate from the New York Fed.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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OECD Data Explorer

Cross-country macroeconomic indicators for OECD member nations.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Our World in Data — Economic Growth

Visual, well-sourced explainers on global economic trends, built for general audiences.

FreeBest for: Students Educators

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Penn World Table

Historical national accounts data for cross-country growth comparisons.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Philadelphia Fed Business Outlook Survey

Regional manufacturing sentiment survey watched as a national leading indicator.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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Seeking Alpha

Investment research platform combining analyst insights, screeners, and market news.

FreemiumBest for: Investors Traders

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St. Louis Fed FRASER Archive

Digitized historical archive of US economic and financial documents.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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TIKR

Fundamental analysis terminal tracking superinvestor portfolios and global stocks.

FreemiumBest for: Investors Traders

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U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data

Official U.S. Treasury portal for federal fiscal data and APIs.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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UN Comtrade

Global trade statistics database covering imports/exports by country and product.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey

Long-running monthly survey of US consumer sentiment.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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US Census Bureau Foreign Trade Data

Official US import/export statistics by country and commodity.

FreeBest for: Business Owners Analysts

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World Bank Open Data

Global development and macroeconomic indicators for 200+ countries.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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WTO Statistics

World Trade Organization data on tariffs, trade flows, and disputes.

FreeBest for: Researchers Academics

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Yale/Shiller CAPE Ratio Data

Long-run cyclically-adjusted stock market valuation data from Robert Shiller.

FreeBest for: Investors Traders

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