NBER Macrohistory Database


During the first several decades of its existence, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) assembled an extensive data set that covers all aspects of the pre-WWI and interwar economies, including production, construction, employment, money, prices, asset market transactions, foreign trade, and government activity. Many series are highly disaggregated, and many exist at the monthly or quarterly frequency. The data set has some coverage of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, although it predominantly covers the United States. For information see Improving the Accessibility of the NBER's Historical Data , by Daniel Feenberg and Jeff Miron. (NBER Working Paper #5186).

Search for Series

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

NBER home page