Methodology Papers

Descriptions of the methodologies used to prepare BEA's National, Industry, Regional, and International accounts data are accessible on this page.

Note: These methodologies are periodically refined to incorporate new and better source data and improved estimating procedures. The refinements are described in articles in BEA's monthly Survey of Current Business (SCB) that present annual or comprehensive revisions to the estimates.

Measuring the Economy: A Primer on GDP and the National Income and Product Accounts December 2015
A Guide to the National Income and Product Accounts of the United States – Replaced by NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts
MP-1: An Introduction to the National Income and Product Accounts September 2007
Taking the Pulse of the Economy: Measuring GDP Journal of Economic Perspectives, Spring 2008
Updated Summary NIPA Methodologies | SCB, November 2015 (PDF)
NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts Note: Additional chapters, including Chapter 12: Rental Income of Persons, are planned or under development.

All Chapters October 2016
Chapters 1-4: Concepts, Source Data, and Estimating Methods October 2016
Chapters 1: Introduction February 2014
Chapter 2: Fundamental Concepts October 2016
Chapter 3: Principal Source Data October 2016
Chapter 4: Estimating Methods December 2015
Chapter 5: Personal Consumption Expenditures December 2015
Chapter 6: Private Fixed Investment October 2016
Chapter 7: Change in Private Inventories October 2016
Chapter 8: Net Exports of Goods and Services December 2015
Chapter 9: Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment October 2016
Chapter 10: Compensation of Employees November 2014
Chapter 11: Nonfarm Proprietors' Income December 2015
Chapter 13: Corporate Profits December 2015
Appendix: Summary National Income and Product Accounts December 2015 Note: This appendix provides definitions of the entries in the NIPA 7 account summary table.
NIPA Glossary October 2016

Housing Services in the National Economic Accounts September 2007
Gross Domestic Product as a Measure of U.S. Production SCB, August 1991

Methods

Updated Summary NIPA Methodologies | SCB, November 2015 (PDF)
NIPA Handbook: Concepts and Methods of the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts Note: Additional chapters, including Chapter 12: Rental Income of Persons, are planned or under development.

All Chapters October 2016
Chapters 1-4: Concepts, Source Data, and Estimating Methods October 2016
Chapters 1: Introduction February 2014
Chapter 2: Fundamental Concepts October 2016
Chapter 3: Principal Source Data October 2016
Chapter 4: Estimating Methods December 2015
Chapter 5: Personal Consumption Expenditures December 2015
Chapter 6: Private Fixed Investment October 2016
Chapter 7: Change in Private Inventories October 2016
Chapter 8: Net Exports of Goods and Services December 2015
Chapter 9: Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment October 2016
Chapter 10: Compensation of Employees November 2014
Chapter 11: Nonfarm Proprietors' Income December 2015
Chapter 13: Corporate Profits December 2015
Appendix: Summary National Income and Product Accounts December 2015 Note: This appendix provides definitions of the entries in the NIPA 7 account summary table.
NIPA Glossary October 2016

Consumer Spending

Private Investment

Government Transactions

NIPA Handbook, Chapter 9: Government Consumption Expenditures and Gross Investment October 2016
A Primer on BEA’s Government Accounts March 2008
MP-5: Government Transactions September 2005

Corporate Profits

NIPA Handbook, Chapter 13: Corporate Profits December 2015
Corporate Profits: Profits Before Tax, Profits Tax Liability, and div idends: Methodology Paper September 2002

Comprehensive Revisions of the GDP accounts

Fixed Assets and Consumer Durable Goods

Methodology, Fixed Assets and Consumer Durable Goods in the United States, 1925-97 September 2003
The Measurement of Depreciation in the NIPA's SCB, July 1997

Industry Accounts

Gross domestic product by industry

A Primer on BEA’s Industry Accounts (PDF) | May 2011
Preview of the Comprehensive Revision of the Annual Industry Accounts (PDF) | SCB, March 2010
Experimental Quarterly U.S. Gross Domestic Product by Industry Statistics (PDF) | SCB, February 2010
Integrating the 2002 Benchmark Input-Output Accounts and the 2002 Annual Industry Accounts | SCB, December 2007 (PDF)
Gross Domestic Product by Industry for 1947-86: New Estimates Based on the North American Industry Classification System | SCB, December 2005 (PDF)
Annual Industry Accounts: Introducing KLEMS Input Estimates for 1997-2003 | SCB, September 2005 (PDF)
Gross Domestic Product by Industry for 1987-2000: New Estimates on the North American Industry Classification System | SCB, November 2004 (PDF)
Preview of the Comprehensive Revision of the Annual Industry Accounts: Integrating the Annual Input-Output Accounts and the Gross-Domestic-Product-by-Industry Accounts | SCB, March 2004 (PDF)
Priorities for Industry Accounts | SCB, November 2000 (PDF)
Improved Estimates of Gross Product by Industry for 1947-98 | SCB, June 2000 (PDF)
Gross Product by Industry Price Measures 1977-96 | SCB, March 1998 (PDF)

Annual Input-output

Preview of the Comprehensive Revision of the Annual Industry Accounts (PDF) | SCB, March 2010
Experimental Quarterly U.S. Gross Domestic Product by Industry Statistics (PDF) | SCB, February 2010
A Primer on BEA’s Industry Accounts (PDF) | SCB, June 2009
Integrating the 2002 Benchmark Input-Output Accounts and the 2002 Annual Industry Accounts | SCB, December 2007 (PDF)
Preview of the Comprehensive Revision of the Annual Industry Accounts: Integrating the Annual Input-Output Accounts and the Gross-Domestic-Product-by-Industry Accounts | SCB, March 2004 (PDF)
Priorities for Industry Accounts | SCB, November 2000 (PDF)
Annual Input-Output Accounts of the U.S. Economy, 1996 | SCB, January 2000 (PDF)

Benchmark input-output

Integrating the 2002 Benchmark Input-Output Accounts and the 2002 Annual Industry Accounts | SCB, December 2007 (PDF)
U.S. Benchmark Input-Output Accounts, 2002 | October 2007 (PDF)
Concepts and Methods of the U.S. Input-Output Accounts | September 2006 (PDF)
Preview of the Benchmark Input-Output Accounts for 2002: Preliminary Estimates of Gross Output, Proposed Classification Framework | SCB, September 2005 (PDF)
Benchmark Input-Output Accounts of the United States, 1997 | SCB, December 2002 (PDF)
Methodology and Appendixes, Benchmark Input-output Accounts of the United States, 1992 | September 1998 (PDF)

Capital flow

Business Investment by Industry in the U.S. Economy for 1997 | SCB, November 2003 (PDF)
Investment in New Structures and Equipment in 1992 by Using Industries | SCB, December 1998 (PDF)

Satellite industry accounts

U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2010-2013 | SCB, June 2014 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2009-2012 | SCB, June 2013 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2003-2011 | SCB, June 2012 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2007-2010 | SCB, June 2011 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2004-2009 | SCB, November 2010 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2005-2008 | SCB, June 2009 (PDF) | (Table)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2004-2007 | SCB, June 2008 (PDF)
2007 R&D Satellite Account Methodologies: Current-dollar GDP Estimates (PDF)
Methodology for the Industry Estimates in the 2007 R&D Satellite Account (PDF)
Estimating Prices for R&D Investment in the 2007 R&D Satellite Account (PDF)
R&D Depreciation Rates in the 2007 R&D Satellite Account (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 1998–2006 | SCB, June 2007 (PDF)
A Proposal To Include Motor Vehicle Services in the U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts | SCB, June 2007 (PDF)
BEA’s 2006 Research and Development Satellite Account: Preliminary Estimates for 1959-2002; Effect on GDP and Other Measures | SCB, December 2006 (PDF) | Tables (PDF)
R&D Satellite Account: Preliminary Estimates | September 2006 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2002-2005 | SCB, June 2006 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2001-2004 | SCB, June 2005 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 1998-2003 | SCB, September 2004 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 1996-1997 | SCB, July 2000 (PDF)
U.S. Transportation Satellite Accounts for 1996 | SCB, May 2000 (PDF)
U.S. Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts for 1992 | SCB, July 1998

Regional Accounts

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by state

Gross Domestic Product by State | October 2006 (PDF)

State and local area methodology publications

State Personal Income and Employment | September 2015 (PDF)
Local Area Personal Income | November 2015 (PDF)

Comprehensive revisions of personal income, articles from the SCB

Comprehensive Revision of State Personal Income | SCB, November 2013 (PDF)
Comprehensive Revision of Gross Domestic Product by State: Advance Statistics for 2013 and Revised Statistics for 1997-2012 | SCB, July 2014 (PDF)
Comprehensive Revision of Local Area Personal Income: New Statistics for 2012 and Revised Statistics for 2001-2011 | SCB, December 2013 (PDF)

International Accounts

Balance of Payments, Services and IIP
Direct Investment and MNEs

U.S. International Economic Accounts: Concepts and Methods New! June 2014
U.S. International Transactions in Private Services: A Guide to the Surveys Conducted by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Publication, September 2013
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Transactions Accounts SCB, July 2012
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Transactions Accounts SCB, July 2011
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Transactions Accounts SCB, July 2010
A Guide to the U.S. International Transactions Accounts and the U.S. International Investment Position Accounts SCB, February 2010
Catalog of Major Revisions to the U.S. International Accounts, 1976-2008
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts SCB, July 2009
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1974-2007 SCB, July 2008
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1997-2006 SCB, July 2007
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1995-2005 SCB, July 2006
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1991-2004 SCB, July 2005
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1989-2003 SCB, July 2004
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1992-2002 SCB, July 2003
Valuing the Direct Investment Position in U.S. Economic Accounts October 2002
Annual Revision of the U.S. International Accounts, 1993-2001 SCB, July 2002
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1989-2000 SCB, July 2001
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1982-99 SCB, July 2000
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1982-98 SCB, July 1999
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1986-97 SCB, July 1998
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1974-96 SCB, July 1997
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1986-95 SCB, July 1996
An Ownership-Based Disaggregation of the Current Account, 1982-93 SCB, October 1995
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1983-94 SCB, June 1995
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1984-93 SCB, June 1994
Alternative Frameworks for U.S. International Transactions SCB, December 1993
U.S. International Transactions, Revised Estimates for 1983-92 SCB, June 1993
Technical note in U.S. International Transactions: First Quarter 1992 and Revised Estimates for 1976-91 SCB, June 1992
Technical note in U.S. International Transactions: First Quarter 1991 SCB, June 1991
Valuation of the Net International Investment Position SCB, May 1991
Technical note in U.S. International Transactions: First Quarter 1990 SCB, June 1990

U.S. Direct Investment Abroad

U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Final Results from the 2009 Benchmark Survey Publication, April 2013
U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Final Results from the 2004 Benchmark Survey Publication, November 2008
U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Final Results From the 1999 Benchmark Survey Publication, April 2004
U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: 1994 Benchmark Survey, Final Results Publication, May 1998 - (PDF)
A Guide to BEA Statistics on U.S. Multinational Companies SCB, March 1995 - (PDF)

Foreign Direct Investment in the United States

Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: 2012 Benchmark Survey, Final Results Publication, November 2015
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: 2007 Benchmark Survey, Final Results Publication, September 2011
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: 2002 Benchmark Survey, Final Results Publication, October 2006
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: 1997 Benchmark Survey, Final Results Publication, July 2001
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: 1992 Benchmark Survey, Final Results Publication, September 1995 - (PDF)
A Guide to BEA Statistics on Foreign Direct Investment in the United States SCB, February 1990 - (PDF)
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: Establishment Data for 1997 Publication, March 2003
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: Establishment Data for 1992 Publication, May 1997 - (PDF)
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States: Establishment Data for Manufacturing, 1991 Publication, September 1994