The U.S. Month at a Glance (September 2004)

A snapshot of the U.S. economy for the last six months.

Document Highlights

• The economy created 144,000 new jobs in August, and the unemployment rate declined to 5.4 per cent.
• Led by strong growth in auto sales, consumer spending increased by 0.8 per cent in July, the second largest gain in 2004.