GDP and the Economy

Advance Estimates for the Fourth Quarter of 2022

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the “advance” estimates of the National Income and Product Accounts (chart 1 and table 1).1 In the third quarter, real GDP increased 3.2 percent.

In 2022 (from the 2021 annual level to the 2022 annual level), real GDP increased 2.1 percent after increasing 5.9 percent in 2021 (see “Real GDP, 2022”).

The 2.9 percent increase in real GDP reflected increases in private inventory investment, consumer spending, federal government spending, state and local government spending, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by decreases in residential fixed investment and exports. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased (chart 2 and table 1).2

  • The increase in private inventory investment was led by manufacturing (led by petroleum and coal products and chemical manufacturing) as well as construction, mining, and utilities (led by utilities) that were partly offset by a decrease in retail trade industries (led by “other” retailers excluding fuel dealers).
  • The increase in consumer spending reflected increases in both services (led by health care, housing and utilities, and “other” services) and goods (led by motor vehicles and parts).
  • The increase in federal government spending was led by nondefense and primarily reflected a decline in sales of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, based on data from the U.S. Department of Energy. Within the National Economic Accounts, these sales are deducted from government consumption expenditures; therefore, a decrease in sales results in a corresponding increase in consumption expenditures. Because the oil sold by the government enters private inventories, there is no direct net effect on GDP.
  • The increase in state and local government spending was led by increases in compensation of state and local government employees.
  • Within nonresidential fixed investment, an increase in intellectual property products was partly offset by a decrease in equipment.
  • Within residential fixed investment, the leading contributors to the decrease were new single-family construction and brokers' commissions.
  • Within exports, the decrease primarily reflected a decrease in goods that was partly offset by an increase in services. The decrease in exports of goods primarily reflected decreases in industrial supplies and materials; foods, feeds, and beverages; and nondurable consumer goods. Within exports of services, travel and transport services were the leading contributors to the increase.
  • Within imports, the decrease primarily reflected a decrease in imports of goods (notably, durable consumer goods).

Real GDP decelerated in the fourth quarter, compared to in the third quarter. The deceleration primarily reflected a downturn in exports and decelerations in nonresidential fixed investment, state and local government spending, and consumer spending. These movements were partly offset by an upturn in private inventory investment, an acceleration in federal government spending, and a smaller decrease in residential fixed investment. Imports decreased less in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter.

 

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis' featured measure of inflation in the U.S. economy, the price index for gross domestic purchases (goods and services purchased by U.S. residents), increased 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing 4.8 percent in the third quarter (table 2 and chart 3). The price index for personal consumption expenditures increased 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing 4.3 percent in the third. Price increases reflected increases for services that were partly offset by a decrease in prices for goods.

  • Within services, price increases were widespread across most categories. The leading contributors were housing and utilities (mainly prices for the imputed rental of owner-occupied nonfarm housing) and food services and accommodations (led by purchased meals and beverages).
  • Within goods, the leading contributors were decreases in gasoline and other energy goods and used motor vehicles.

Within gross domestic purchases, food prices increased 6.0 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing 13.4 percent in the third quarter. Prices for energy goods and services decreased 15.4 percent after decreasing 13.1 percent. Gross domestic purchases prices excluding food and energy increased 3.8 percent after increasing 5.0 percent.

Consumer prices excluding food and energy, a measure of the “core” rate of inflation, increased 3.9 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing 4.7 percent in the third quarter.

 

Measured in current dollars, personal income increased $311.0 billion in the fourth quarter, compared to an increase of $283.1 billion in the third quarter (table 3). The increase in personal income primarily reflected increases in compensation (led by private wages and salaries), government social benefits (led by “other” benefits, primarily reflecting an increase in one-time state refundable tax credits), and personal interest income.

Personal current taxes increased $14.0 billion in the fourth quarter after increasing $40.8 billion in the third quarter.

Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $297.0 billion, or 6.5 percent, in the fourth quarter after increasing $242.4 billion, or 5.4 percent, in the third quarter. Personal outlays increased $251.8 billion after increasing $325.9 billion in the third quarter.

The personal saving rate (chart 4)—personal saving as a percentage of DPI—was 2.9 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with 2.7 percent in the third quarter.

Real DPI (chart 5) increased 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing 1.0 percent in the third quarter. Current-dollar DPI is deflated by the implicit price deflator for consumer spending, which increased 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter after increasing 4.3 percent.

 

Real GDP increased 2.1 percent in 2022 (from the 2021 annual level to the 2022 annual level), compared to an increase of 5.9 percent in 2021. The increase in real GDP in 2022 primarily reflected increases in consumer spending, exports, private inventory investment, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by decreases in residential fixed investment and federal government spending. Imports increased (table 4 and chart 6).

  • The increase in consumer spending reflected an increase in services that was partly offset by a decrease in goods.
    • Within services, the increase was led by “other” services (mainly international travel), food services and accommodations (led by purchased meals and beverages), and health care (led by outpatient services).
    • The decrease in goods primarily reflected decreases in food and beverages (groceries) as well as motor vehicles and parts (mainly used light trucks) that were partly offset by increases in recreational goods and vehicles and "other" nondurable goods (mainly pharmaceuticals).
  • The increase in exports reflected increases in both goods (mainly nondurable industrial supplies and materials) and services (notably, travel).
  • The increase in private inventory investment primarily reflected increases in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and retail trade (notably, motor vehicle dealers).
  • The increase in nonresidential fixed investment reflected increases in intellectual property products (led by software) and in equipment (led by information processing equipment) that were partly offset by a decrease in structures (led by commercial and health care as well as power and communication structures).
  • The decrease in residential fixed investment mainly reflected a decrease in new single-family construction as well as brokers' commissions.
  • The decrease in federal government spending reflected decreases in both defense and nondefense spending.
  • Within imports, both goods (led by nonautomotive capital goods) and services (led by travel) increased.

 

 


  1. “Real” estimates are in chained (2012) dollars, and price indexes are chain-type measures. Each GDP estimate for a quarter (advance, second, and third) incorporates increasingly comprehensive and improved source data; for more information, see “The Revisions to GDP, GDI, and Their Major Components” in the January 2018 Survey of Current Business. Quarterly estimates are expressed at seasonally adjusted annual rates, which reflect a rate of activity for a quarter as if it were maintained for a year.
  2. In this article, “consumer spending” refers to “personal consumption expenditures,” “inventory investment” refers to “change in private inventories,” and “government spending” refers to “government consumption expenditures and gross investment.”