FRED
US economic data (Federal Reserve). Interest rates, inflation, GDP, employment. Free.
Overview
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) is a free, public database maintained by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. FRED provides access to over 840,000 economic time series from 118 sources, making it one of the most comprehensive and authoritative sources of economic data in the world.
FRED covers a vast range of economic indicators including GDP, employment, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, monetary aggregates, housing data, and international trade statistics. The data spans decades of history and is updated continuously as new releases become available.
As a public service of the Federal Reserve, FRED is completely free to use — no subscription, no paywalls, no limits on data access. This makes it an indispensable resource for economists, researchers, students, journalists, and investors worldwide.
Key Features
- 840,000+ Time Series: Comprehensive collection of economic data from 118 sources including government agencies, central banks, and international organizations.
- Interactive Charts: Build custom charts with multiple series, adjustable date ranges, and various chart types.
- Data Transformations: Apply mathematical transformations (percentage change, log, index) directly in the interface.
- ALFRED: Archival Federal Reserve Economic Data — access historical vintages of data to see how economic data was reported at any point in time.
- GeoFRED: Map-based visualization of economic data by US state, county, and metro area.
- Release Calendar: Schedule of upcoming data releases with historical comparison.
- My FRED: Personal dashboards and saved charts for registered users.
- Excel Add-In: Pull FRED data directly into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Data Coverage
| Data Type | Details | |-----------|---------| | Time Series | 840,000+ series | | Data Sources | 118 sources (BLS, BEA, Census, Treasury, Fed, IMF, World Bank, etc.) | | Categories | GDP, employment, inflation, rates, money supply, trade, housing, banking | | Geographic | National, state, county, metro area (US), international | | Historical Depth | Decades of history, some series back to 1800s | | Update Frequency | Continuous — data added as released by sources |
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Features | |------|-------|----------| | Free | $0 | Full access to all 840,000+ data series, charts, downloads, and API |
FRED is entirely free. No paid tiers, no subscriptions, no limits.
API Access
FRED provides a free REST API for programmatic data access. API keys are available at no cost — simply register for a FRED account. The API supports JSON and XML response formats, covers all FRED data series, and accommodates any programming language that can make HTTPS requests. Rate limits are generous for typical use. Python library (fredapi) available on PyPI.
Getting Started
- Visit fred.stlouisfed.org — no account needed for basic browsing.
- Search for any economic indicator (e.g., "GDP", "unemployment rate", "CPI").
- Customize charts with date ranges, transformations, and multiple series.
- Register for a free account to save charts and create dashboards.
- Request a free API key for programmatic data access.
- Explore GeoFRED for geographic visualizations of economic data.