An analytical index of the NBER database was kept in hard copy form. In some respects, it is more informative than the online index, but it is available as a 9-megabyte .PDF file only. It lists a few series that are not available here and misses a few that are.
The data files are offered in two ASCII formats: Micro-TSP .db format and rectangular .dat format. The data and comment lines in the .db format are together in one file and can be read automatically by time series software packages such as TSP, Micro-TSP, and RATS. The rectangular .dat format makes reading the data using general-purpose statistical software packages easier. The comment lines have been extracted from the data and placed into accompanying .txt files. Jean Roth created the rectangular data format from the .db files in May 2001, so please check the .db file for comparison and report any errors to data@nber.org
The .db format begins with comment lines documenting the series. After the text comments the next line is a '-1' for annual data, '-4' for quarterly data and '-12' for monthly data. The next two lines show the start and end date for the series in year.subperiod format. For example 1945.08 stands for August of 1945. For a quarterly series 1945.2 would stand for the second quarter of 1945. The remainder of the file are ASCII numeric values with one observation per line. Missing values are coded as "NA".
Alan G Isaac has posted documentation for the .db format including the correct representation for missing values, which was incorrect on this site before August 2005. We are grateful to him for his help.
The rectangular .dat files have a column for the year, a column for the quarter or month, if necessary, and a column of data. The NA missing value codes have been changed to a "." The comment lines are placed in an accompanying .txt file.
Information about seasonal adjustments is available, but in most cases only unadjusted series have been made available here.
Also of possible interest
For more information, contact:
- Daniel Feenberg (feenberg at nber dot org)
- Jeff Miron (jmiron@bu.edu)
- data@nber.org
| Chapter1 | Production of Commodities |
| Chapter2 | Construction |
| Chapter3 | Transportation and Public Utilities |
| Chapter4 | Prices |
| Chapter5 | Stocks of Commodities |
| Chapter6 | Distribution of Commodities |
| Chapter7 | Foreign Trade |
| Chapter8 | Income and Employment |
| Chapter9 | Financial Status of Business |
| Chapter10 | Savings and Investment |
| Chapter11 | Security Markets |
| Chapter12 | Volume of Transactions |
| Chapter13 | Interest Rates |
| Chapter14 | Money and Banking |
| Chapter15 | Government and Finance |
| Chapter16 | Leading Indicators |
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In addition to working papers, the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals — the NBER Reporter, the NBER Digest, the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability, the Bulletin on Health, and the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship — as well as online conference reports, video lectures, and interviews.
