# FRED API

> FRED returns economic indicators and observations as a workflow and API.

FRED returns observations, latest values, and source details for an indicator or series ID; dates and transformations are optional. Search indicators returns matching series and coverage metadata; it needs an economic topic to search.

- Page: https://fous.com/workflows/fred
- Handle: `@fred`
- Category: [Finance](https://fous.com/workflows/category/finance)
- Source website: https://fred.stlouisfed.org
- Last verified: Sep 28, 2026
- Fous is not affiliated with FRED.

## Methods

### Get economic indicator

Operation `get_economic_indicator`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Get a FRED economic series by name or series ID, with its observations, latest value, and source details. Public series only.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `change` | string | no | `"percent_change_from_year_ago"` | Value transformation, for example percent_change_from_year_ago; defaults to none. |
| `end_date` | string | no | `"2025-01-01"` | Last observation date, for example 2026-09-28. Defaults to today. |
| `indicator` | string | yes | `"UNRATE"` | Economic figure in plain words or a FRED series ID, for example US unemployment rate or UNRATE. |
| `start_date` | string | no | `"2024-01-01"` | First observation date, for example 2021-01-01. Defaults to five years ago. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "indicator"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "change": {
      "enum": [
        "none",
        "percent_change_from_year_ago"
      ],
      "type": "string",
      "default": "none",
      "description": "Value transformation, for example percent_change_from_year_ago; defaults to none.",
      "examples": [
        "percent_change_from_year_ago"
      ]
    },
    "end_date": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date",
      "description": "Last observation date, for example 2026-09-28. Defaults to today.",
      "examples": [
        "2025-01-01",
        "2025-04-01"
      ]
    },
    "indicator": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Economic figure in plain words or a FRED series ID, for example US unemployment rate or UNRATE.",
      "examples": [
        "UNRATE",
        "US unemployment rate",
        "30-year mortgage rate"
      ]
    },
    "start_date": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date",
      "description": "First observation date, for example 2021-01-01. Defaults to five years ago.",
      "examples": [
        "2024-01-01",
        "2025-01-01"
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "change": "percent_change_from_year_ago",
      "end_date": "2025-01-01",
      "indicator": "UNRATE",
      "start_date": "2024-01-01"
    },
    {
      "indicator": "US unemployment rate"
    },
    {
      "end_date": "2025-04-01",
      "indicator": "30-year mortgage rate",
      "start_date": "2025-01-01"
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `units` | string | `"Percent change from year ago"` | Units of the returned values, in words. |
| `values` | array |  | Observations in the requested period, oldest first. |
| `values[].date` | string | `"2024-01-01"` |  |
| `values[].value` | number or null | `5.71429` |  |
| `frequency` | string | `"Monthly"` | How often new observations occur. |
| `page_link` | string | `"https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE"` | FRED page for this indicator. |
| `series_id` | string | `"UNRATE"` | FRED series identifier. |
| `latest_date` | string or null | `"2025-01-01"` | Date of the latest available value in the requested period. |
| `latest_value` | number or null | `8.10811` | Most recent available value in the requested period. |
| `source_agency` | string or null | `"U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics"` | Organization that supplies the series. |
| `indicator_title` | string | `"Unemployment Rate"` | Name of the economic indicator. |
| `seasonally_adjusted` | boolean | `true` | Whether the series is seasonally adjusted. |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "change": "percent_change_from_year_ago",
  "end_date": "2025-01-01",
  "indicator": "UNRATE",
  "start_date": "2024-01-01"
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "units": "Percent change from year ago",
  "values": [
    {
      "date": "2024-01-01",
      "value": 5.71429
    },
    {
      "date": "2024-02-01",
      "value": 8.33333
    },
    {
      "date": "2024-03-01",
      "value": 11.42857
    }
  ],
  "frequency": "Monthly",
  "page_link": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE",
  "series_id": "UNRATE",
  "latest_date": "2025-01-01",
  "latest_value": 8.10811,
  "source_agency": "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "indicator_title": "Unemployment Rate",
  "seasonally_adjusted": true
}
```

### Search indicators

Operation `search_indicators`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Search FRED economic series by topic, ordered by popularity, with coverage dates and metadata. FRED does not publish a numeric popularity score on these public pages.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `query` | string | yes | `"home prices in Texas"` | Economic topic to search, for example home prices in Texas. |
| `max_results` | integer | no | `5` | Most popular matching series to return, for example 20 (up to 100). |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "query"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "query": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Economic topic to search, for example home prices in Texas.",
      "examples": [
        "home prices in Texas",
        "zxywqtransmogrificationzz99",
        "unemployment rate"
      ]
    },
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 20,
      "maximum": 100,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Most popular matching series to return, for example 20 (up to 100).",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        5,
        20,
        65
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "query": "home prices in Texas",
      "max_results": 5
    },
    {
      "query": "zxywqtransmogrificationzz99",
      "max_results": 20
    },
    {
      "query": "unemployment rate",
      "max_results": 65
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `series` | array |  | Matching FRED series, most popular first. |
| `series[].title` | string | `"All-Transactions House Price Index for Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX (MSA)"` | Series title. |
| `series[].units` | string or null | `"Index 1995:Q1=100"` | Units in words. |
| `series[].frequency` | string or null | `"Quarterly"` | How often the series is reported. |
| `series[].last_date` | string or null | `"2026-04-01"` | Last date covered. |
| `series[].first_date` | string or null | `"1977-04-01"` | First date covered. |
| `series[].fred_page_link` | string | `"https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS12420Q"` | FRED page for this series. |
| `series[].fred_series_id` | string | `"ATNHPIUS12420Q"` | FRED series identifier. |
| `series[].popularity_score` | integer or null |  | FRED popularity score when publicly available; null when the public pages do not expose it. |
| `series[].last_updated_date` | string or null | `"2026-08-25"` | Date the series was last updated. |
| `series[].seasonally_adjusted` | boolean or null | `false` | Whether the series is seasonally adjusted. |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "query": "home prices in Texas",
  "max_results": 5
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "series": [
    {
      "title": "All-Transactions House Price Index for Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX (MSA)",
      "units": "Index 1995:Q1=100",
      "frequency": "Quarterly",
      "last_date": "2026-04-01",
      "first_date": "1977-04-01",
      "fred_page_link": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS12420Q",
      "fred_series_id": "ATNHPIUS12420Q",
      "popularity_score": null,
      "last_updated_date": "2026-08-25",
      "seasonally_adjusted": false
    },
    {
      "title": "All-Transactions House Price Index for Texas",
      "units": "Index 1980:Q1=100",
      "frequency": "Quarterly",
      "last_date": "2026-04-01",
      "first_date": "1975-01-01",
      "fred_page_link": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TXSTHPI",
      "fred_series_id": "TXSTHPI",
      "popularity_score": null,
      "last_updated_date": "2026-08-25",
      "seasonally_adjusted": false
    },
    {
      "title": "All-Transactions House Price Index for Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (MSA)",
      "units": "Index 1995:Q1=100",
      "frequency": "Quarterly",
      "last_date": "2026-04-01",
      "first_date": "1976-01-01",
      "fred_page_link": "https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS26420Q",
      "fred_series_id": "ATNHPIUS26420Q",
      "popularity_score": null,
      "last_updated_date": "2026-08-25",
      "seasonally_adjusted": false
    }
  ]
}
```

## Quick start

Call the API with a Fous API key (`FOUS_API_KEY`). To create one, turn on Developer mode in Fous Studio, then open Keys & connections → API keys (https://app.fous.com/keys).

```bash
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@fred",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_economic_indicator",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "change": "percent_change_from_year_ago",
    "end_date": "2025-01-01",
    "indicator": "UNRATE",
    "start_date": "2024-01-01"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'
```

```python
# Save as fous.py and run with python3 fous.py. No packages needed.
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
import json
import os
import urllib.error
import urllib.request

api_key = os.environ.get("FOUS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example")

body = json.loads("{\n  \"api\": \"@fred\",\n  \"visibility\": \"public\",\n  \"operation\": \"get_economic_indicator\",\n  \"version\": 1,\n  \"input\": {\n    \"change\": \"percent_change_from_year_ago\",\n    \"end_date\": \"2025-01-01\",\n    \"indicator\": \"UNRATE\",\n    \"start_date\": \"2024-01-01\"\n  },\n  \"response\": {\n    \"format\": \"json\"\n  }\n}")
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.fous.com/v1/query",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=120) as response:
        result = json.load(response)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as error:
    raise RuntimeError(f"HTTP {error.code}: {error.read().decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}") from error
if result.get("success") is False:
    raise RuntimeError(result.get("error", {}).get("message", "Request failed"))
print(json.dumps(result["data"]["output"], indent=2))
```

```typescript
// Save as fous.mts and run with npx tsx fous.mts.
// First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
const apiKey = process.env.FOUS_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example");

const response = await fetch("https://api.fous.com/v1/query", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "api": "@fred",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_economic_indicator",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "change": "percent_change_from_year_ago",
    "end_date": "2025-01-01",
    "indicator": "UNRATE",
    "start_date": "2024-01-01"
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}),
});
type ApiResult = { success: boolean; data?: { output: unknown }; error?: { message: string } };
const result: ApiResult = await response.json();
if (!response.ok || result.success === false) {
  throw new Error(result.error?.message ?? `HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
if (!result.data) throw new Error("Missing API response data");
console.log(result.data.output);
```

Or describe the data in plain language: send `{"api":"@fred","prompt":"Describe the data you need, with every detail"}` to the same URL. Fous fills in the input, runs the method that fits and returns only the fields you asked for; `data.route.calls[].request` is the exact call it made. Routing is free; the run costs the same.

## Use cases

- Track an indicator over a selected period
- Find economic series related to a business topic
- Check an indicator’s reporting frequency and source agency
- Review a series’ coverage dates and update date
- Compare observations across dates

## FAQ

### Is Fous affiliated with FRED?

No. Fous is not affiliated with FRED. This workflow reads the public fred.stlouisfed.org website and returns its data.

### How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

### Do I need a FRED account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

### How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from fred.stlouisfed.org when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 28, 2026.

### What is the latest value for an economic indicator?

Get economic indicator returns the latest available value in the requested period.

### Which series cover a topic like home prices in Texas?

Search indicators finds matching series and returns their coverage dates and metadata.

### How often is an indicator reported?

Get economic indicator returns the series frequency.

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