A survey conducted in July 2025 found that the most important issue for ***percent of Americans was inflation and prices. A further ***percent of respondents were most concerned about jobs and the economy.

In this 2018 survey, eight percent of respondents stated they think the biggest problem for the United States today is Donald Trump. In fact, most of the important problems mentioned are somehow related to the current POTUS – the most mentioned one being immigration and racism.

A country divided

Since Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, political camps in the United States are deeply divided and global politics is in turmoil; Trump’s job approval ratings are notoriously low, and in fact, they are lower than Reagan’s or Nixon’s averages ever were. Trump’s leadership is controversial at best and his executive orders often cause protests, especially among Democrats and liberals – like the travel ban for Muslims.

On the other side

One of Trump’s main campaign promises was a wall on the border with Mexico in order to keep potential illegal immigrants out and enhance security for American citizens. When he did not get the majority for this plan, he declared a national emergency to force the budget to be allocated, even though the majority of Americans did not support this idea, and it is unclear if the situation at the Mexican border actually warrants it. In fact, the total number of unauthorized immigrants has decreased over the last few years and today, many Americans believe that their country benefits from immigrants and their work .

According to a survey conducted in 2023, ** percent of Americans said that they disapproved of the way President Biden was handling the issue of immigration and the issue of guns in the United States. A further ** percent said that they disapproved of the way President Biden was handling the issue of race in that year.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: Federal: Economic affairs: Transportation: Water (G160601A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2023 about economic affairs, inland waterway, sea, transportation, expenditures, federal, government, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Space (G160241A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2024 about outer space, economic affairs, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

The New York Times is releasing a series of data files with cumulative counts of coronavirus cases in the United States, at the state and county level, over time. We are compiling this time series data from state and local governments and health departments in an attempt to provide a complete record of the ongoing outbreak.

Since late January, The Times has tracked cases of coronavirus in real time as they were identified after testing. Because of the widespread shortage of testing, however, the data is necessarily limited in the picture it presents of the outbreak.

We have used this data to power our maps and reporting tracking the outbreak, and it is now being made available to the public in response to requests from researchers, scientists and government officials who would like access to the data to better understand the outbreak.

The data begins with the first reported coronavirus case in Washington State on Jan. 21, 2020. We will publish regular updates to the data in this repository.

According to the data from 2025, some 16 percent of respondents said that rising health care costs were the most important health issue facing the United States. Cancer ranked second on the list with 15 percent. Issues with healthcare costsCurrently, the most urgent problem facing American healthcare is the high costs of care. The high expense of healthcare may deter people from getting the appropriate treatment when they need medical care or cause them to completely forego preventative care visits. Many Americans reported that they may skip prescription doses or refrain from taking medication as prescribed due to financial concerns. Such health-related behavior can result in major health problems, which may raise the long-term cost of care. Inflation, medical debt, and unforeseen medical expenses have all added to the burden that health costs are placing on household income. Gun violence issueThe gun violence epidemic has plagued the United States over the past few years, yet very little has been done to address the issue. In recent years, gun violence has become the leading cause of death among American children and teens. Even though more than half of Americans are in favor of tougher gun control regulations, there is little political will to strongly reform the current gun law. Gun violence has a deep traumatic impact on survivors and society, it is developing into a major public health crisis in the United States.

This dataset focuses on the black-white wage gap in the United States. It provides insights into the disparities in hourly wages between black and white workers, as well as different gender and subgroup breakdowns.

The data is derived from the Economic Policy Institute’s State of Working America Data Library, a reputable source for socio-economic research and analysis.

Drought occurs when a region has an imbalance between water supply and water demand over an extended period of time. Droughts can have significant environmental, economic, and social consequences. Between 1980 and the present time, the cost of drought exceeded 100 billion dollars, making drought monitoring a key factor in planning, preparedness, and mitigation efforts at all levels of government.Data Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, National Drought Mitigation Center, GISData DownloadUpdate Frequency:  Weekly, typically on Friday around 10:00AM UTC. Using the Aggregated Live Feed MethodologyFor Full Historical data: See USA Drought Intensity 2000 - Present Online Item!For Standard Symbology Style: See USA Drought Intensity - Current Conditions - Standard Color Scheme Online Item!Dataset Summary:This feature service provides access to current drought intensity categories for the entire USA. These data have been produced weekly since January 4, 2000 by the U.S. Drought Monitor, see the Full Historical data for the full time series. Drought intensity is classified according to the deviation of precipitation, stream flow, and soil moisture content from historically established norms, in addition to subjective observations and reported impacts from more than 350 partners across the country. New map data is released every Thursday to reflect the conditions of the previous week.Layer Summary:'US_Drought_Current': Polygon areas for most recent weekThis Layer contains a series of drought classification summaries that fall into two groups: Categorical Percent Area and Cumulative Percent Area.Categorical Percent Area statistic is the percent of the area in a certain drought category and excludes areas that are better or worse. For example, the D0 category is labeled as such and only shows the percent of the area experiencing abnormally dry conditions.Cumulative Percent Area statistics combine drought categories for a comprehensive percent of area in drought. For example, the D0-D4 category shows the percent of the area that is classified as D0 or worse.Drought Classification Categories are as follows:ClassDescriptionPossible ImpactsD0Abnormally DryGoing into drought: short-term dryness slows growth of crops/pastures. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; drops/pastures not fully recovered.D1Moderate DroughtSome damage to crops/pastures; streams, reservoirs, or wells are low with some water shortages developing or imminent; voluntary water-use restrictions requested.D2Severe DroughtCrop/pasture losses are likely; water shortages are common and water retrictions are imposed.D3Extreme DroughtMajor crop/pasture losses; widespread water shortages or restrictions.D4Exceptional DroughtExceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies.The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced in partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is the drought map that the USDA and IRS use to define which farms have been affected by drought conditions, defining who is eligible for federal relief funds.

Abstract

The Gallup Poll Social Series (GPSS) is a set of public opinion surveys designed to monitor U.S. adults' views on numerous social, economic, and political topics. The topics are arranged thematically across 12 surveys. Gallup administers these surveys during the same month every year and includes the survey's core trend questions in the same order each administration. Using this consistent standard allows for unprecedented analysis of changes in trend data that are not susceptible to question order bias and seasonal effects.

Introduced in 2001, the GPSS is the primary method Gallup uses to update several hundred long-term Gallup trend questions, some dating back to the 1930s. The series also includes many newer questions added to address contemporary issues as they emerge.

The dataset currently includes responses from up to and including 2025.

Methodology

Gallup conducts one GPSS survey per month, with each devoted to a different topic, as follows:

January: Mood of the Nation

February: World Affairs

March: Environment

April: Economy and Finance

May: Values and Beliefs

June: Minority Rights and Relations (discontinued after 2016)

July: Consumption Habits

August: Work and Education

September: Governance

October: Crime

November: Health

December: Lifestyle (conducted 2001-2008)

The core questions of the surveys differ each month, but several questions assessing the state of the nation are standard on all 12: presidential job approval, congressional job approval, satisfaction with the direction of the U.S., assessment of the U.S. job market, and an open-ended measurement of the nation's "most important problem." Additionally, Gallup includes extensive demographic questions on each survey, allowing for in-depth analysis of trends.

Interviews are conducted with U.S. adults aged 18 and older living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia using a dual-frame design, which includes both landline and cellphone numbers. Gallup samples landline and cellphone numbers using random-digit-dial methods. Gallup purchases samples for this study from Dynata. Gallup chooses landline respondents at random within each household based on which member had the next birthday. As of June 2023, each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 80% cellphone respondents and 20% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Gallup conducts interviews in Spanish for respondents who are primarily Spanish-speaking.

Gallup interviews a minimum of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and older for each GPSS survey. Samples for the June Minority Rights and Relations survey (conducted periodically between 2001 and 2021) were significantly larger because Gallup oversampled Black and Hispanic adults to allow for reliable estimates among these key subgroups.

Gallup weights samples to correct for unequal selection probability, nonresponse, and double coverage of landline and cellphone users in the two sampling frames. Gallup also weights its final samples to match the U.S. population according to gender, age, race, Hispanic ethnicity, education, region, population density, and phone status (cellphone only, landline only, both, and cellphone mostly).

Demographic weighting targets are based on the most recent Current Population Survey figures for the aged 18 and older U.S. population. Phone status targets are based on the most recent National Health Interview Survey. Population density targets are based on the most recent U.S. Census.

Usage

The year appended to each table name represents when the data was last updated. For example, January: Mood of the Nation - 2025** **has survey data collected up to and including 2025.

For more information about what survey questions were asked over time, see the Supporting Files.

Bulk Data Access

Data access is required to view this section.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Transportation: Highways (G160191A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2024 about economic affairs, road, transportation, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Space was 21.49500 Bil. of $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Space reached a record high of 21.49500 in January of 2023 and a record low of 0.15000 in January of 1959. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Space - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Drought occurs when a region has an imbalance between water supply and water demand over an extended period of time. Droughts can have significant environmental, economic, and social consequences. Between 1980 and the present time, the cost of drought exceeded 100 billion dollars, making drought monitoring a key factor in planning, preparedness, and mitigation efforts at all levels of government. Data Source: U.S. Drought Monitor, National Drought Mitigation Center, GISData DownloadUpdate Frequency:  Weekly, typically on Friday around 10:00AM UTC. Using the Aggregated Live Feed MethodologyFor Full Historical data: See USA Drought Intensity 2000 - Present Online Item!For USDM Symbology Style: See USA Drought Intensity - Current Conditions - USDM Color Scheme Online Item!Dataset Summary:This feature service provides access to current drought intensity categories for the entire USA. These data have been produced weekly since January 4, 2000 by the U.S. Drought Monitor, see the Full Historical data for the full time series. Drought intensity is classified according to the deviation of precipitation, stream flow, and soil moisture content from historically established norms, in addition to subjective observations and reported impacts from more than 350 partners across the country. New map data is released every Thursday to reflect the conditions of the previous week.Layer Summary:'US_Drought_Current': Polygon areas for most recent weekThis Layer contains a series of drought classification summaries that fall into two groups: Categorical Percent Area and Cumulative Percent Area.

Categorical Percent Area statistic is the percent of the area in a certain drought category and excludes areas that are better or worse. For example, the D0 category is labeled as such and only shows the percent of the area experiencing abnormally dry conditions.

Cumulative Percent Area statistics combine drought categories for a comprehensive percent of area in drought. For example, the D0-D4 category shows the percent of the area that is classified as D0 or worse.Drought Classification Categories are as follows:

Class Description Possible Impacts

D0 Abnormally Dry Going into drought: short-term dryness slows growth of crops/pastures. Coming out of drought: some lingering water deficits; drops/pastures not fully recovered.

D1 Moderate Drought Some damage to crops/pastures; streams, reservoirs, or wells are low with some water shortages developing or imminent; voluntary water-use restrictions requested.

D2 Severe Drought Crop/pasture losses are likely; water shortages are common and water retrictions are imposed.

D3 Extreme Drought Major crop/pasture losses; widespread water shortages or restrictions.

D4 Exceptional Drought Exceptional and widespread crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams, and wells creating water emergencies. The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced in partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It is the drought map that the USDA and IRS use to define which farms have been affected by drought conditions, defining who is eligible for federal relief funds.

United States CSI: Economic: Recent Business Conditions: Prices data was reported at -4.000 % in May 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of -3.000 % for Apr 2018. United States CSI: Economic: Recent Business Conditions: Prices data is updated monthly, averaging -1.000 % from Jan 1978 (Median) to May 2018, with 485 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.000 % in Jan 2015 and a record low of -34.000 % in Jun 2008. United States CSI: Economic: Recent Business Conditions: Prices data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by University of Michigan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.H028: Consumer Sentiment Index: Economic Conditions. During the last few months, have your heard of any favorable or unfavorable changes in business conditions? The question was: What did you hear?

United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: General economic and labor affairs was 102.09600 Bil. of $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: General economic and labor affairs reached a record high of 678.11900 in January of 2020 and a record low of 1.23400 in January of 1959. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: General economic and labor affairs - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

United States - Government current expenditures: Federal: Economic affairs was 234.46500 Bil. of $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Government current expenditures: Federal: Economic affairs reached a record high of 987.44000 in January of 2021 and a record low of 5.46400 in January of 1960. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Government current expenditures: Federal: Economic affairs - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: Natural resources was 51.69100 Bil. of $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: Natural resources reached a record high of 51.69100 in January of 2023 and a record low of 0.28700 in January of 1963. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Government current expenditures: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: Natural resources - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Reporting of new Aggregate Case and Death Count data was discontinued May 11, 2023, with the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. This dataset will receive a final update on June 1, 2023, to reconcile historical data through May 10, 2023, and will remain publicly available.

Aggregate Data Collection Process Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, data have been gathered through a robust process with the following steps:

• A CDC data team reviews and validates the information obtained from jurisdictions’ state and local websites via an overnight data review process.
• If more than one official county data source exists, CDC uses a comprehensive data selection process comparing each official county data source, and takes the highest case and death counts respectively, unless otherwise specified by the state.
• CDC compiles these data and posts the finalized information on COVID Data Tracker.
• County level data is aggregated to obtain state and territory specific totals.

This process is collaborative, with CDC and jurisdictions working together to ensure the accuracy of COVID-19 case and death numbers. County counts provide the most up-to-date numbers on cases and deaths by report date. CDC may retrospectively update counts to correct data quality issues.

Methodology Changes Several differences exist between the current, weekly-updated dataset and the archived version:

• Source: The current Weekly-Updated Version is based on county-level aggregate count data, while the Archived Version is based on State-level aggregate count data.
• Confirmed/Probable Cases/Death breakdown:  While the probable cases and deaths are included in the total case and total death counts in both versions (if applicable), they were reported separately from the confirmed cases and deaths by jurisdiction in the Archived Version.  In the current Weekly-Updated Version, the counts by jurisdiction are not reported by confirmed or probable status (See Confirmed and Probable Counts section for more detail).
• Time Series Frequency: The current Weekly-Updated Version contains weekly time series data (i.e., one record per week per jurisdiction), while the Archived Version contains daily time series data (i.e., one record per day per jurisdiction).
• Update Frequency: The current Weekly-Updated Version is updated weekly, while the Archived Version was updated twice daily up to October 20, 2022.

Important note: The counts reflected during a given time period in this dataset may not match the counts reflected for the same time period in the archived dataset noted above. Discrepancies may exist due to differences between county and state COVID-19 case surveillance and reconciliation efforts.

Confirmed and Probable Counts In this dataset, counts by jurisdiction are not displayed by confirmed or probable status. Instead, confirmed and probable cases and deaths are included in the Total Cases and Total Deaths columns, when available. Not all jurisdictions report probable cases and deaths to CDC.* Confirmed and probable case definition criteria are described here:

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (ymaws.com).

Deaths CDC reports death data on other sections of the website: CDC COVID Data Tracker: Home, CDC COVID Data Tracker: Cases, Deaths, and Testing, and NCHS Provisional Death Counts. Information presented on the COVID Data Tracker pages is based on the same source (to

United States - Government current expenditures: State and local: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: General economic and labor affairs was 34.74000 Bil. of $ in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Government current expenditures: State and local: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: General economic and labor affairs reached a record high of 34.74000 in January of 2023 and a record low of 0.64100 in January of 1959. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Government current expenditures: State and local: Economic affairs: Other economic affairs: General economic and labor affairs - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Overview with Chart & Report: Michigan Current Conditions index demonstrates how US consumers estimate changes in economic conditions in the past 12 months: if they improved, worsened or remained the same. The index is calculated