Methodology & Sources

Data Architecture

All data displayed on the Nevada Economic Forum is preprocessed from public data portals and committed as static JSON files within the project repository. No live API calls are made from the browser at runtime. This architecture ensures fast load times, reproducibility, and independence from third-party API availability.

Data files are stored in the /data/ directory and loaded by the front-end JavaScript when the page initializes.

Data Sources

Indicator Definitions

Unemployment Rate

The percentage of the civilian labor force (persons aged 16+ who are either employed or actively seeking work) that is unemployed. Statewide figures are seasonally adjusted; metro-level figures from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program are not seasonally adjusted unless noted. Source: BLS.

Nonfarm Payroll Employment

Total number of paid U.S. workers excluding farm employees, unincorporated self-employed, household workers, and government intelligence employees. Reported in thousands, seasonally adjusted. Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES).

Home Price Index (HPI)

The FHFA All-Transactions House Price Index is a weighted, repeat-sales index measuring average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties. It captures price appreciation rather than the absolute level of prices. Index base: 1995 Q1 = 100. Source: FHFA.

Building Permits

New privately-owned residential housing units authorized by building permits. Reported as a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in units. Source: Census Bureau.

Real GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

The inflation-adjusted value of all goods and services produced within Nevada, expressed in chained 2017 dollars. Removes the effect of price changes to show real economic growth. Source: BEA.

Population

Estimated resident population based on Census Bureau estimates, incorporating births, deaths, and net migration. Reported in thousands. Source: Census Bureau via FRED.

Median Home Price

The middle value in a sorted list of all home sales during the period. Half of homes sold for more, half for less. Reflects market conditions but can shift due to the mix of homes selling. Sources: Las Vegas Realtors, Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors.

Labor Force Participation Rate

The percentage of the civilian non-institutional population aged 16+ that is either employed or actively seeking work. Source: BLS.

Chart Construction

All charts are built with Chart.js 4.x, a widely-used open-source charting library. Charts are responsive and include hover tooltips for data inspection.

• Time range controls: Users can filter time series to 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, or all-available views.
• Line charts: Used for time series data (unemployment, employment, home prices, permits). Tension set to 0.3 for smooth curves without misrepresenting data.
• Bar charts: Used for categorical data (sectors, GDP, population) and year-over-year growth comparisons.
• Color coding: A consistent palette is used across all charts. Green indicates positive growth, red indicates decline in growth-rate charts.

Update Cadence

The dashboard uses snapshot data that is periodically refreshed. The current data snapshot was compiled in April 2026. Key timing:

• Unemployment and employment data typically available 1-2 months after the reference period.
• Home Price Index data is quarterly, with a 2-3 month lag.
• GDP data is annual with a 3-6 month lag.
• Population estimates are annual, released in late December for the prior July 1 estimate.

Note: October 2025 LAUS data is unavailable for some metros due to the 2025 federal government lapse in appropriations.

Known Limitations

• Metro-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted, meaning they may show seasonal patterns (e.g., higher in winter) that do not reflect underlying trends.
• The FHFA HPI reflects price changes for repeat transactions, not absolute price levels. It may differ from median sale prices reported by realtors' associations.
• Building permit data measures authorized permits, not actual construction starts or completions.
• Population estimates between decennial censuses carry increasing uncertainty over time.
• Some data series have publication lags. Always check the date shown with each indicator.
• Carson City economic data is more limited than Las Vegas or Reno due to its smaller size and fewer published series.
• This dashboard does not include projections or forecasts — all figures are historical actuals.

Data Refresh Process

The live site refreshes from this repository, not from the Astro app in nv-econ-forum. On GitHub Actions (Monday 13:00 UTC, the 1st of each month, or a manual workflow_dispatch):

1. Install dependencies and run the contract tests.
2. Run npm run fetch-data with BLS_API_KEY, CENSUS_API_KEY, and BEA_API_KEY available as repo secrets.
3. The script merges new BLS / Census / BEA / FHFA observations into /data/nevada_economic_data.json (the file script.js loads) and refuses to commit if a required series is missing.
4. On success, nef-data-bot commits the JSON and GitHub Pages publishes it.

To run the same pipeline locally: npm install && npm test && npm run fetch-data. FRED series IDs still used as fallbacks or citations: NVUR, NVNA, NVRGSP, NVBPPRIVSA, ATNHPIUS29820Q, ATNHPIUS39900Q, NVPOP, LASV832URN, RENO932URN, CARS132URN.