Data Resources, Data Visualization, and Data Literacy: Visualization

The FRED Blog highlights the variety of visualizations possible using FRED. It explains the economic concepts behind each graph and walks you through how to create that graph in FRED.

Examples of different graphs in FRED Blog Posts:

• Live by the barrel, die by the barrel: Connections between oil production, oil dependency, and economic growth (Scatter Plot)
• Moonlighting in the spotlight: Trends for multiple jobholders (Multiple lines)
• The mosaic of U.S. unemployment: Even the Great Recession didn't stop some counties from working (GeoFRED Map)
• Government transfers to households: From 1947 to 1966 to now (Area Chart)
• The components of GDP growth: What's driving the second quarter's 4.1% gain? (Pie Chart)

GeoFRED allows you to create, customize, and share maps of data found in FRED.

• Use your free FRED account to save the maps you create in  GeoFRED.

• Watch the video for a quick overview.

• Check out the GeoFRED homepage and this Regional Economic Data page for examples of what you can map in GeoFRED.

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Quick video demonstrations of working with FRED

• Have Wages Kept Up with Inflation? 
• Is the Economy Performing to Its Potential? 
• What's the Link between Education and Unemployment?
• How Has Job Growth Changed Since the Recession? 

When you're getting started with FRED, check out the Help section for step-by-step instructions for creating your own data visualizations.

Dashboards are a good way to present several data visualizations together as a group, and you can use the notes widget to annotate the graphs.

Examples of useful FRED dashboards:

• AP Comparative Government 6 Nation's Data 
• US Unemployment Breakdown (Robert Kirkby, Economist)
• Economic Indicators for Missouri

• FRED Interactives through econlowdown 

FRED Interactives are online modules that teach data literacy and economic content at the same time. Students learn how to build and customize FRED graphs and then interpret the data–all within the Econ Lowdown Teacher Portal.

• More teaching with FRED ideas from professors

Keep the Toolkit resources bookmarked to use each time you come across a chart for study.

This first toolkit provides a series of resources for students (grade 6-12) to read, interpret, and think critically about charts in textbooks and historical documents.

It has three main parts: (1) the Glossary of Chart Terms, (2) the Visual Glossary of Chart Types, and (3) Historical Inquiry Questions for Charts. It also includes a suggested procedure for how to use the Toolkit.

1) Learning Toolkit: Historical Inquiry With Charts

This second toolkit is for students grades 8-12 and uses maps and charts from the Statistical Atlas of 1870 to teach data literacy skills with a variety of activities. It has four parts: (1) Historical Inquiry With Population Maps, (2) Historical Inquiry With the 1870 Church Accommodation Chart, (3) Historical Inquiry With the 1870 Occupations and School Attendance Chart, and (4) Historical Inquiry With the 1870 State Population Chart

2) Learning Toolkit: Historical Inquiry With the Statistical Atlas of 1870