Linking Resource Flows to Economic Sectors in the United States

The production of goods and services throughout an economy requires the use of resources and materials. Linking resource flows to economic sectors is challenging because of the varying data availability and heterogeneity in the dataset dimensions, such as geography, activity scale, or time. This technical bulletin presents a flexible accounting structure to measure annual resource use throughout the U.S. economy by production activity. This research builds on past work by presenting an annual time series and advancing allocation metrics. Both natural resources (i.e., energy and freshwater) and human resources (i.e., employment) are considered. These data quantify resource use and identify the resource intensity or efficiency of sectors but also offer opportunities for macroeconomic modeling and applications.