Sources & terms
Every number on HowIsTheUSDoing comes from a U.S. government source. This page says which, how each asks to be credited, and links to each agency’s own terms. We keep a dated copy of each terms page so there is a record of what it said when we used the data.
In general, works of the U.S. Government are not protected by copyright in the United States (17 U.S.C. § 105), and most of these agencies say so on their own sites. We credit every source anyway, and we do not use any agency’s name, logo or seal in a way that suggests it endorses this site. HowIsTheUSDoing is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Agencies cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from it after it leaves their sites, and neither can we vouch for anything beyond what we show: we present the numbers as published and describe each calculation on the About page.
Dates in the saved copies show when we saved them. The agency’s live page is always the authority. Terms can change; if you spot a change, please tell us.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
What we use: Average retail prices, consumer price indexes, jobs, unemployment, earnings and job openings (JOLTS).
What its terms say: “The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a Federal government agency and everything that we publish, both in hard copy and electronically, is in the public domain, except for previously copyrighted photographs and illustrations. You are free to use our public domain material without specific permission, although we do ask that you cite the Bureau of Labor Statistics as the source.” We use BLS data through its public API, whose terms say users should cite the date the data were retrieved and “must clearly state that ‘BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.’” The BLS emblem is a protected trademark and is not used here.
How we credit it: Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, data retrieved 2026-10-06. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (copied from the Internet Archive snapshot of 2026-01-12 (the agency's site blocks automated downloads)) · BLS Application Programming Interface terms of service, saved 2026-10-06 (original)
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
What we use: Gasoline, diesel, heating oil, propane, crude oil, natural gas and electricity prices; electricity generation; crude oil production.
What its terms say: “U.S. government publications are in the public domain and are not subject to copyright protection.” EIA asks for an acknowledgment, for example “Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2008).” The EIA logo is a registered trademark and is not used here.
How we credit it: Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
What we use: Federal funds rate, Treasury yields, credit card interest rates, delinquency rates, consumer credit, bank loans, deposits and business loans.
What its terms say: “Unless otherwise indicated, information on Board's website is in the public domain and may be copied and distributed without permission. Please cite to the Board as the source of the information.” Federal Reserve seals and logos are protected and are not used here.
How we credit it: Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (release data files).
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
What we use: Saving rate, PCE inflation, real GDP growth, federal interest payments and receipts, from BEA's published national accounts text files.
What its terms say: “Unless stated otherwise, the information posted on the BEA web site is in the public domain and may be used or reproduced without specific permission.” BEA adds that a citation such as “Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis” would be appreciated. The BEA logo is not used here. This product is not endorsed or certified by BEA.
How we credit it: Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Not endorsed or certified by BEA.
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
U.S. Census Bureau (with HUD)
What we use: Housing starts, building permits and new single-family home sales, through the Census Bureau’s Economic Indicators API (these appear once a Census API key is added).
What its terms say: The Census Bureau asks services that use its API to display: “This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.” We use the Census API and show this notice. We do not use the Census Bureau name to imply endorsement.
How we credit it: Source: U.S. Census Bureau and HUD. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service
What we use: National debt (Debt to the Penny); federal revenue and spending (Monthly Treasury Statement, from Fiscal Data).
What its terms say: “The data on this site is available to copy, adapt, redistribute, or otherwise use for non-commercial and commercial purposes.”
How we credit it: Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Data).
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
What we use: Border encounters, drug, cash and weapons seizures, travelers and vehicles, assaults on officers, use of force, agriculture inspections and forced-labor import orders.
What its terms say: Users “must clearly state that ‘This product uses U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, but is not endorsed by CBP.’” and should cite the date the CSV files were retrieved. “CBP cannot verify the quality, accuracy, and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived there from after the data has been retrieved from CBP.gov.” The logos and seals of CBP and DHS are protected by federal law and are not used here.
How we credit it: This product uses U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, but is not endorsed by CBP. CBP data retrieved 2026-10-06.
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
FBI Crime Data Explorer (Uniform Crime Reporting)
What we use: Yearly national crime rates (violent crime, homicide, property crime).
What its terms say: The Crime Data Explorer project states: “As a work of the United States government, this project is in the public domain within the United States. Additionally, we waive copyright and related rights in the work worldwide through the CC0 1.0 Universal public domain dedication.” We could not retrieve a separate terms page from the FBI’s own site, which blocks automated downloads. The FBI notes that figures are what contributing agencies reported and discourages ranking places by crime. This site is not endorsed by the FBI.
How we credit it: Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (Uniform Crime Reporting). Not endorsed by the FBI.
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
What we use: Bank failures, by year.
What its terms say: The FDIC describes its BankFind API as access to “FDIC’s publicly available bank data,” and its data catalog entry carries the U.S. public domain label. We did not find a written reuse or attribution requirement. We credit the FDIC anyway, and do not use its name or logo to imply endorsement.
How we credit it: Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (read with a headless browser) · Open Data at the FDIC, saved 2026-10-06 (original)
Office of the Federal Register (National Archives)
What we use: Executive orders signed, by month.
What its terms say: “Any person may reproduce or republish any material appearing in any regular or special edition of the Federal Register (1 CFR 2.6). There are no restrictions regarding what is reproduced, who can reproduce it, or where it can be reproduced.”
How we credit it: Source: Federal Register (Office of the Federal Register, National Archives).
Read the agency’s terms · Saved copy, 2026-10-06 (downloaded directly)
The law and general guidance
- USA.gov: government copyright (U.S. Government works) (saved 2026-10-06) · original
- 17 U.S.C. section 105: no copyright in U.S. Government works (saved 2026-10-06) · original
Software on this site
Charts are drawn with Chart.js and its date adapter, both under the MIT License. License text.