TED: The Economics Daily

There were 525 workplace fatalities from unintentional overdoses due to nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol in 2022. This is a 13.1-percent increase from 2021 when there were 464 fatalities and is the tenth consecutive annual increase. Unintentional overdoses include overdoses from stimulants such as methamphetamine and from opioids such as fentanyl.

South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate in July 2024, 2.0 percent, closely followed by Vermont, 2.1 percent, and North Dakota, 2.2 percent. The jobless rate in Mississippi, 2.7 percent, set a new series low.

Prices for U.S. imports rose 1.6 percent from July 2023 to July 2024, the largest over-the-year increase since the index advanced 3.2 percent from December 2021 to December 2022.

Real average hourly earnings increased 0.7 percent from July 2023 to July 2024. Real earnings are earnings that have been adjusted for changes in consumer prices. The change in real average hourly earnings combined with a decrease of 0.3 percent in the average workweek resulted in a 0.4-percent increase in real average weekly earnings over the year.