U.S. Economy at a Glance, Q1 2025

Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2025 (January, February, and March), according to the third estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2024, real GDP increased 2.4 percent. The decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected an increase in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and a decrease in government spending. These movements were partly offset by increases in investment and consumer spending.

Personal income decreased $109.6 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in May, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—decreased $125.0 billion (0.6 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased $29.3 billion (0.1 percent). Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments—decreased $27.6 billion in May. Personal saving was $1.01 trillion in May and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 4.5 percent.

The U.S. current-account deficit widened by $138.2 billion, or 44.3 percent, to $450.2 billion in the first quarter of 2025, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The revised fourth-quarter deficit was $312.0 billion. The first-quarter deficit was 6.0 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product, up from 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

The U.S. net international investment position, the difference between U.S. residents’ foreign financial assets and liabilities, was -$24.61 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2025, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Assets totaled $36.85 trillion, and liabilities were $61.47 trillion. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, the net investment position was -$26.54 trillion (revised).

The U.S. goods and services trade deficit increased in May 2025 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $60.3 billion in April (revised) to $71.5 billion in May, as exports decreased more than imports. The goods deficit increased $11.2 billion in May to $97.5 billion. The services surplus decreased $0.1 billion in May to $26.0 billion.

Expenditures by foreign direct investors to acquire, establish, or expand U.S. businesses totaled $151.0 billion in 2024, according to preliminary statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Expenditures decreased $24.9 billion, or 14.2 percent, from $176.0 billion (revised) in 2023 and were below the annual average of $277.2 billion for 2014–2023. As in previous years, acquisitions of existing U.S. businesses accounted for most of the expenditures.

Real gross domestic product decreased in 39 states in the first quarter of 2025, with the percent change ranging from 1.7 percent at an annual rate in South Carolina to –6.1 percent in Iowa and Nebraska.

Personal income, in current dollars, increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the first quarter of 2025, with the percent change ranging from 12.7 percent at an annual rate in North Dakota to 3.2 percent in Washington state.

In 2023, real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 2,357 counties, decreased in 734 counties, and was unchanged in 23 counties. The percent change in real GDP ranged from 125.8 percent in Throckmorton County, TX, to –39.6 percent in Lincoln County, WA.

In 2023, personal income, in current dollars, increased in 2,814 counties, decreased in 295, and was unchanged in five counties in 2023. Personal income increased 6.0 percent in the metropolitan portion of the United States and 4.7 percent in the nonmetropolitan portion.

Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2023. The percent change ranged from 8.1 percent in Florida to 4.7 percent in Iowa. Nationally, current-dollar PCE increased 6.4 percent in 2023 after increasing 9.8 percent in 2022.