Economy of the United States

"Economy of America" redirects here. For other uses, see Economy of America (disambiguation).

Economy of the United States
New York City, the world's principal fintech and financial center[1][2][3] and the epicenter of the world's principal metropolitan economy[4]
CurrencyUnited States dollar (Sign: $; Code: USD)
Increase US Dollar Index
October 1 – September 30
Trade organizations
WTO, G-20, G7, OECD, USMCA, APEC and others
Country group
Statistics
Population340,332,281 (August 30, 2023)[9]
GDP
GDP rank
GDP growth
GDP per capita
  • Increase $86,601 (nominal; 2024)[10]
  • Increase $86,601 (PPP; 2024)[10]
GDP per capita rank
GDP by sector
GDP by component
  • Household consumption: 67.9%
  • Government consumption: 17.3%
  • Investment in fixed capital: 17.5%
  • Investment in inventories: 0.2%
  • Exports of goods and services: 11.1%
  • Imports of goods and services: −14%
  • (2023 est.)[13]
3% (2023)[14]
Population below poverty line
  • Positive decrease 11.1% (2023)[15]
  • Positive decrease 36.8 million (2023)[15]
  • Positive decrease 46.7 high (2022, USCB)[16]
  • 41.7 medium (2020, CBO)[17]
Steady 69 out of 100 points (2023)[19] (rank 24th)
Labor force
  • 161,200,000 (2023)[20]
  • 62.4% employment rate (2023)[20]
Labor force by occupation
Unemployment
  • Steady 4.1% (October 2024)[20]
  • Positive decrease 13.8% youth unemployment (October 2024; 16 to 19 year-olds)[20]
  • Negative increase 6.98 million unemployed (October 2024)[20]
Average gross salary
$5,605, monthly[22] (2023)
$4,246, monthly[22] (2023)
Increase 85.2% of GDP (2023)[13]
Increase 17.7% of GDP (2023)[13]
10-year bond 5.09% (April 2024)[23]
  • Increase 50.3 Manufacturing (Mar 2024)[24]
  • Increase 51.4 Services (Mar 2024)[25]
Main industries
External
Exports$3.053 trillion (2023)[26]
Export goods
Main export partners
Imports$3.827 trillion (2023)[26]
Import goods
Main import partners
FDI stock
  • Increase Inward: $367 billion (2021)[30]
  • Increase Outward: $403 billion (2021)[30]
  • Negative increase −$948.64 billion (2024)[31]
  • Positive decrease −3.25% of GDP (2024)[31]
Negative increase $27 trillion (2023)[32]
Public finances
  • Negative increase $35.294 trillion
  • Negative increase 121% of GDP (2024)[31]
–6.3% of GDP (2023)[33]
Revenues$8.720 trillion[31]
29.9% of GDP (2024)
Expenses$10.945 trillion[31]
37.5% of GDP (2024)
Government spending in the United States
Economic aiddonor: ODA, $35.26 billion (2017)[34]
  • Scope Ratings:[39]
  • AA
  • Outlook: Negative
$250 billion (2024)[40]
All values, unless otherwise stated, are in US dollars.
This article is part of a series on the
Economy of the United States
Coat of arms of the United States
Economic history
Sectors
Primary sector
Secondary sector
Tertiary sector
Financial services
Largest companies
Economy by state
State statistics
Economy by city or county
Labor
Labor Law

Employment

The United States is a highly developed mixed economy.[41][42][43] It is the world's largest economy by nominal GDP; it is also the second largest by purchasing power parity (PPP), behind China.[44] It has the world's sixth highest per capita GDP (nominal) and the eighth highest per capita GDP (PPP) as of 2024.[10] The U.S. accounted for 26% of the global economy in 2023 in nominal terms, and about 15.5% in PPP terms.[11][45] The U.S. dollar is the currency of record most used in international transactions and is the world's reserve currency, backed by a large U.S. treasuries market, its role as the reference standard for the petrodollar system, and its linked eurodollar.[46] Several countries use it as their official currency and in others it is the de facto currency.[47] Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.[12]

The American economy is fueled by high productivity, well developed transportation infrastructure, and extensive natural resources.[48] Americans have the sixth highest average household and employee income among OECD member states.[49] In 2021, they had the highest median household income.[50] The U.S. has one of the world's highest income inequalities among the developed countries.[51][52][53] The largest U.S. trading partners are Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, India, and Vietnam.[54] The U.S. is the world's largest importer and second largest exporter.[55] It has free trade agreements with several countries, including Canada and Mexico (through the USMCA), Australia, South Korea, Israel, and several others that are in effect or under negotiation.[56] The U.S. has a highly flexible labor market, where the industry adheres to a hire-and-fire policy, and job security is relatively low.[57][58] Among OECD nations, the U.S. has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 30% of GDP.[8][59][7]

The United States is the world's largest producer of petroleum and natural gas.[60] In 2016, it was the world's largest trading country[61] and second largest manufacturer, with American manufacturing making up a fifth of the global total.[62] The U.S. not only has the largest internal market for goods, but also dominates the services trade. Total U.S. trade was $4.2 trillion in 2018.[63] Of the world's 500 largest companies, 121 are headquartered in the U.S.[64] The U.S. has the world's highest number of billionaires, with total wealth of $3.0 trillion.[65][66] U.S. commercial banks had $22.9 trillion in assets in December 2022.[67] U.S. global assets under management had more than $30 trillion in assets.[68][69] During the Great Recession of 2008, the U.S. economy suffered a significant decline.[70][71] The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act was enacted by the United States Congress, and in the ensuing years the U.S. experienced the longest economic expansion on record by July 2019.[72][73][74][75]

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are the world's largest stock exchanges by market capitalization and trade volume.[76][77] The U.S. has the world's largest gold reserve, with over 8,000 tonnes of gold.[78] In 2014, the U.S. economy was ranked first in international ranking on venture capital[79] and global research and development funding.[80] The U.S. spends around 3.46% of GDP on cutting-edge research and development across various sectors of the economy.[81] The U.S. has produced the world's highest number of Nobel laureates in the economics field.[82] It is also the world's fourth largest high-technology exporter.[83] The U.S. ranks second in the world by number of patent applications.[84] Consumer spending comprised 68% of the U.S. economy in 2022,[85] while its labor share of income was 44% in 2021.[86] The U.S. has the world's largest consumer market.[87] The nation's labor market has attracted immigrants from all over the world and its net migration rate is among the highest in the world.[88] The U.S. is one of the top-performing economies in studies such as the Ease of Doing Business Index, the Global Competitiveness Report, and others.[89]

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