The magnitude of recent policy changes has little precedent in recent history.

Because of the government shutdown, economic data is harder to come by.

It’s not a story about wonky statistics. It’s about America’s reliability as a borrower of trillions of dollars, something that underpins our global economy.

Employers have added an anemic 35,333 jobs per month since May.

At Marketplace, we cover a lot of hard data. But soft data can be just as important.

Data collected by private companies can give us unique insight into the economy, but it’s not a substitute for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

There are private firms that offer specialized economic data, but they're not always as comprehensive as government sources.

GDP and other hard data are more comprehensive and focus on the past. While anecdotal evidence is more fickle, but can show early signs of an economic shift.

Next week's May jobs report is expected to show steady employment growth and continued low unemployment.

A proposed rule affecting federal workers “opens the door” for reporting data in ways that don’t align with established norms.