How to operate the Regional Economic Accounts interactive charting program
Select a geography, local area, table and series, statistic, unit of measure, start year and end year: For each chart you want to display, you must specify a geography type, a local area type (if the geography type selected is Local Areas), a table and series, a statistic, a unit of measure, a start year and end year. Each of these selections is made by choosing one or more items from each of the drop down menus in the form area on the left-hand side of the screen. Each time you make a new selection for any of these items, you need to click the "Draw Chart" button to update the chart display to reflect your new selections. See Data Availability for more information on what estimates are published.
Select the chart type to be applied to the chart. You make the chart format choice by selecting one of the options provided. The default format is "Bar". For the "Componenets of Personal Income" table, the chart type must be "pie".
Select the image format to be applied to the chart. If you would like to save the chart as an image, select either jpg or png. You make the chart format choice by selecting one of the options provided. The default format is "png".
You may choose to show gridlines or datavalue on the chart by selecting from the options provided.
The chart may be displayed in two sizes by selecting from the "Chart Size" option.
Save the chart image
Save the chart as an image: Right-click on the chart and select "Save picture as image" from the menu that appears. You will then be presented with a dialogue box that will allow you to specify a name for the graphic image and a location on your
computer for the image to be saved to. You should make a note the location on your computer where the
downloaded graphic image will be saved. The chart image that is displayed on your computer screen is
rendered as a JPEG ("Joint Photographic Experts Group") graphic or a PNG ("Portable Network Graphics").
Print the chart or print chart and table: After you have selected data and displayed a chart, you can print the resulting chart and data table by clicking the "Printer friendly" link located just below the chart. This will cause your browser to open a new window that displays the chart and data in a printer-friendly format. Print this page using your browser's print function, located in the "File" menu.
Definitions of units of measure
Level
The "Level" is the actual value of the selected statistic in each area for the year selected.
Percent change from preceding period
The "Percent change from preceding period" unit of measure is the period to period change for the statistic selected. The first period that you select is used as the base period, and a percent change from preceding period will not be calculated for that period.
Percent of US
The "Percent of US" unit of measure is the share that each state or local area has of the national total for some statistic. For each state, the Percent of US unit of measure is computed as the state level for the selected statistic divided by the US level for the selected statistic, with the resulting quotient then multiplied by 100 to convert it to a percentage value.
Percent of U.S. Metro Portion
The "Percent of US Metro Portion" unit of measure is the share that each metropolitan area has of the national metro portion total for some statistic. For each metro area, the Percent of US Metro Portion unit of measure is computed as the metro area level for the selected statistic divided by the US metro portion level for the selected statistic, with the resulting quotient then multiplied by 100 to convert it to a percentage value.
Average annual growth rate
The "Average annual growth rate" unit of measure is the only item for which you need to select two years, a "Begin year" and an "End year." The average annual growth rate will then be computed for the statistic you have selected. The average annual growth rate is computed as an annually compounded rate, not as a simple arithmetic average of the annual growth rates. It is the nth root of the ratio of the ending value to the beginning value, minus 1.0, and times 100 (to express the value as a percent per year), where the "n" in "the nthroot" is equal to the end year minus the begin year. Algebraically, the average annual growth rate for a value is computed as (((End value / Begin value)^1/n )-1)*100.
Index
The "Index" unit of measure relates the value of a variable (or group of variables) to a base level. The base level is set so that the index produces results that are easy to understand and compare. The base level will always be the first period you selected.
The formula for calculating an index is as follows:
x1=(dv1/dv1)*100 = 100 x2=(dv2/dv1)*100 x3=(dv3/dv1)*100
x1 = index of first year selected, x2 = index of second year ...
dv1 = datavalue for first year selected, dv2 = datavalue for second year ...
Please refer to the Regional Definitions for the latest definitions and methods.
Data or selections not permitted or displayed
Suppressed data or data not displayed in chart—The Bureau of Economic Analysis suppresses some data in order to prevent the disclosure of confidential information. In those cases, the data in the interactive charting application will be suppressed, with no data appearing in the chart.
For computation of "Average Annual Growth" if either data point is negative the result will be reported as "not meaningful" and the chart will not be displayed.
FAQs:
Why do some datapoints not appear in my chart?
If the estimate you have chosen is suppressed or not available, it will not appear in the chart.
Can I save my chart as an image?
Yes. Right-click on the chart image and select Save image as.... (Note - Make sure that the chart is in .jpg or .png format.)
Why can't I chart mulitple areas and multiple statistics on the same graph?
This is a feature we are working on for the future. If you are interested in this feature, please let us know via email.
Can I chart more than seven statistics or seven areas at a time?
No. Due to the large amount of data requested, it is necessary to limit this feature to seven to avoid timeouts.
