The takeaway

Most economic time series reflect what we know today. That is, they provide the most current, most accurate versions of the data. But what if we want to look back at what we thought was true yesterday? That’s where ALFRED can help.

FRED’s archival data service has turned 20

ALFRED, launched in 2006, has helped many researchers better understand economic history by taking them back in time to see the data that were available on specific dates. ALFRED illuminates windows in time to help you accomplish many tasks:

• Identify and correct data errors. The January 6, 2021, release of the Economic Policy Uncertainty Index contained a 300% spike—an error that was corrected the next day.
• Compare different methods to collect data. In November 2021, Realtor.com changed how it reported the number of houses for sale. This change could impact the analysis of trends and cycles.
• Track periodic comprehensive updates. Major economic indicators such as real GDP undergo periodic comprehensive updates to reflect best measurement practices. Between 1991 and 2023 there were eight updates, each adjusting reference years for inflation.
• Improve data accuracy and completeness. Data collection is complex. Reporting timely data creates a tradeoff between accuracy and speed. Employment figures undergo two regular types of revisions: twice when additional information from employers becomes available and two additional annual benchmarking revisions to realign those data with state administrative records. These revisions make the data more accurate.

An example of data revisions captured in ALFRED

Our ALFRED graph above shows how a natural disaster resulted in large data revisions. Hurricane Harvey first made landfall on Friday, August 25, 2017, near Rockport, Texas. Hurricane Irma hit the lower Florida Keys on Sunday, September 10. A total of 87 counties, representing 7.7% of national employment, were declared federal disaster areas. Although data collection wasn’t severely disrupted, a steep decline in food services and drinking places and below-trend growth in some industries likely reflected the impact of both hurricanes.

The first release of employment data for September 2017 (blue bar) showed a decrease in employment of 33,000 persons. The second (red bar) and third (green bar) releases showed increases in employment of as many as 38,000 persons. Keeping track of data vintages is important for storytelling and analysis.

To learn more about putting ALFRED to good use, see this essay.

How this graph was created: Search ALFRED for and select “All Employees: Total Nonfarm, Monthly, Seasonally Adjusted.” Click on “Edit Graph” and select the “Edit Bars” tab. For Bar 1, change the “As-of date” to “2017-10-06.” For Bar 2, change the “As-of date” to “2017-11-03.” Adjust the date range to “2017-01-01” to “2017-11-01.” Click “Edit Graph” and change the “Units” to “Change from Year Ago, Thousands of Persons” and click “Copy to all.”

Suggested by Diego Mendez-Carbajo.

On February 5, 2026, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released their 2024 real GDP breakdown at the county level. Here are some highlights from the data set, some of which are shown in the FRED map above:

• In 2024, real GDP growth was positive in three-quarters of all counties.
• Nationally, real GDP increased by 2.8%. However, the median county experienced growth of 2.3%. About two-thirds of counties experienced growth ranging from -1.6% to 6.0%.
• The county with the fastest growth was Carter County, Montana, at 76.6%.
• The county with sharpest decline was Baca County, Colorado, at -46.3%.
• There was a positive relationship between real GDP growth and the size of the county. Among the largest 10% of counties, growth averaged 3%; whereas, among the smallest 10% of counties, growth averaged -1.5%.
• The county with the fastest growth here in the St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois metro area was Madison County, Illinois, with 8.3% growth. Jersey County, Illinois experienced the slowest growth in the metro area, at -1.2%.

As noted above, there are some large numbers for growth and contraction of real GDP at the county level. This is because many counties are very small. Therefore, GDP can fluctuate greatly from one year to the next: Economic shocks such as a business openings or closings in a small town can have a significant impact on the community and, thus, the economic data. There are many reasons why some counties grow while others contract. For example, the industrial composition can amplify the degree of expansion or contraction in relation to the national overall business cycle. Demographic makeup and migration patterns of a county can also be a factor. These reasons are explored in more detail in this St. Louis Fed essay.

How this map was created: Search FRED for and select “Real GDP County” and click on the first choice. Click on the “View Map” and then “Edit Map” buttons. Change units to “Percent Change from Year Ago.” Then switch the number of color groups to 3 and “data grouped by” to “User Defined Method”; then define the scales at 0, 3, and the highest value (which is 77). For values less than 0, choose red to show contraction; for values less than 3, choose light green to show slow to moderate expansion; for values less than 77, choose dark green to show rapid expansion.

Suggested by John Fuller and Charles Gascon.

On July 19, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the second quarter data for total nonfarm employees at the state and metro levels. At the state level, 36 states experienced positive job growth and 14 experienced job losses. Texas led all states in job growth, adding 46,800 jobs in the second quarter. New Jersey had the largest decline, losing 10,700 jobs.

The FRED map above shows the change in employment in each state during the second quarter. If you sum up the individual states, you’ll see a net gain of 316,100 jobs (0.20% growth). This is different from the reported number for the nation, which was 449,000 (0.28% growth). This difference occurs because the state level has different sampling and tends to have a larger margin of error than the national number.

At the metro level, 216 areas experienced job growth and 155 experienced job losses or no change in employment. Employment increased by 197,000 jobs across all metro areas. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim MSA led the nation with 18,900 jobs added in the second quarter. The Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis MSA had the largest decline, losing 7,800 jobs in the second quarter. These numbers tend to vary greatly from quarter to quarter, with even greater sampling errors than the errors at the state and national levels. So, be careful not to read too much into these data.

NOTE: These data are subject to future revision by the source, with an annual revision the following March. Our ALFRED database records vintages of the data, so users can view the data as they appeared at various points in history. The link takes you to employment for Missouri, as of July 19, 2025.

How these maps were created: Search FRED for “total nonfarm employees in Missouri” (or any other state). Click “View Map” and then “Edit Map.” Change the units to “Change, Thousands of Persons” and the frequency to quarterly with aggregation method “End of Period.” Under “Format,” select “User Defined Method” for how to group the data: Switch the number of color groups to 3 and change the colors to red for states that shed jobs (or a value less than or equal to 0), light green for states with modest job growth (or less than 10), and dark green for states with strong growth (or a value large enough to incorporate the rest of the states). For the second map, repeat the process with an MSA—St. Louis, for example.

Suggested by Jack Fuller and Charles Gascon.