Federal Outlays
Returns total U.S. federal government outlays (spending) in billions of dollars. This data is sourced from the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED).
Data Details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Source | U.S. Treasury / FRED |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Unit | Billions of USD |
| Seasonality | Seasonally adjusted |
Notes
- Outlays include all federal spending: mandatory programs, discretionary spending, and interest on debt
- Data is updated monthly with the latest available figures
- Use with
FederalReceipts()to calculate deficit or compare spending vs income
Examples
Current federal outlays in billions
=FederalOutlays()/1000Calculate deficit (positive = deficit)
When to Use
- Tracking federal government spending trends
- Comparing outlays to receipts for deficit analysis
- Economic research on fiscal policy
- Budget analysis and forecasting
When NOT to Use
| Scenario | Use Instead |
|---|---|
| Need federal revenue | FederalReceipts() |
| Need deficit/surplus directly | FederalSurplusOrDeficit() |
| Need national debt | FederalDebt() |
Common Issues & FAQ
Q: What unit is the result in? A: Billions of U.S. dollars.
Q: How often is the data updated? A: Monthly, sourced from FRED/U.S. Treasury data.
Q: Does this include state/local spending? A: No, only federal government outlays.
Get Access to 1 Billion Usable Market data points IN YOUR EXCEL SHEETS WITH EASY TO USE EXCEL FUNCTIONS
Get started today
▶
How does MarketXLS work?