A FIRE economy is any economy based primarily on the finance, insurance, and real estate sectors.[1] Finance, insurance, and real estate are United States Census Bureau classifications. Barry Popik describes some early uses as far back as 1982.[2] Since 2008, the term has been commonly used by Michael Hudson[1] and Eric Janszen.[3] It is New York City's largest industry and a prominent part of the service industry in the United States overall economy and other Western developed countries.