Economy at a glance
The latest official figures on the national debt, prices, jobs, healthcare, the dollar and gas, straight from the government agencies that publish them. Each figure shows the date it covers. We don't estimate between releases.
What your dollar is worth
It now takes $1.40 to buy what $1 bought in 2016: the dollar has lost 29% of its buying power. Prices through September 2026.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, all items, U.S. city average. 2016 uses that year's average.
Gas and goods
A 15-gallon fill-up costs about $64.26, against $45.29 a year ago. That's money that would otherwise go to groceries, medicine or getting to work.
Past year: low $2.779, high $4.500 a gallon.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, weekly retail gasoline.
Dollar calculator
Pick a year and an amount.
Uses each year's average CPI-U and the latest month (September 2026).
National debt
Daily changes swing with tax dates and debt auctions; the change over a year shows the trend better.
Sources: U.S. Treasury, Debt to the Penny; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), GFDEGDQ188S.
Inflation
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U, not seasonally adjusted.
Jobs
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, seasonally adjusted.
Healthcare prices
These are national price changes, not the premium on any one plan. The health insurance figure is measured from insurers' costs and profits, not from premiums, so it can fall while premiums rise. To compare Marketplace plans and prices for your area, use HealthCare.gov.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U medical care, not seasonally adjusted.
Every figure is pulled automatically from the agency that publishes it, a few times a day, and shown with the date it covers: the Treasury posts the debt each business day, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases prices and jobs once a month, and the Energy Information Administration surveys gas stations every Monday. Buying power uses the standard method: $1 in an earlier year is worth that year's average CPI divided by today's CPI.
Events listed beside the gas price are added by our editor, each with its date and a link to the original source.
