The tax burden in the United States of America increased by 1percentage point from 24.4% to 25.4% in 2013. The OECD average was an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 33.7% to 34.1%. The United States is the only OECD country that employs a retail sales tax rather than a value added tax (VAT) as the principal consumption tax.

Going for Growth 2015: Key findings for United States

Low oil prices and monetary easing are boosting growth in the world’s major economies, but the near-term pace of expansion remains modest, withabnormally low inflation and interest rates pointing to risks of financial instability, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Assessment.

In his speech delivered at the Brookings Institute, OECD Secretary-General Gurría explains that OECD’s numbers tell a clear-cut story of how our traditional economic growth agenda has neglected inclusiveness. Yet to begin to tackle this problem, we have to understand that inequality is not just about money. It touches every area of people’s lives.

Mr. Gurría attended the Spring meetings of the World Bank Group, IMF and G20 Finance Ministers, and held meetings with high-level officials from the US and other countries. He delivered remarks at various events and also presented the report Pensions at a Glance: Latin America and Caribbean as well as the 2015 OECD SME Scoreboard.

This country note provides information on latest trends in income inequalities as well as key findings from the 2015 OECD report "In it Together: Why less inequality benefits all".

In 2014, the US economy added more jobs than in any year since the 1990s. In fact, this longest streak of job growth on record has persisted into 2015. Inflation-adjusted wages are up by 1.4% annually over the last two years, more than twice the pace of the last recovery. But this is still not enough to make up for decades of subpar gains for middle-class families–a challenge shared by many other OECD economies.

The United States has been successful at reducing the mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) but the burden of CVD and diabetes is increasing rapidly.

Specific country notes have been prepared using data from the database OECD Health Statistics 2015, July 2015 version. The notes are available in PDF format.

It is often said that the United States is a nation of immigrants. Is the US still the best place to settle in?

The Secretary-General attended the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 agenda and the UN 2015 general assembly. He delivered remarks on strengthening global partnership for the post-2015 development agenda, participated in high-level events in the margins of the summit, and met with leaders and officials also in attendance.

Life expectancy in the United States is lower than in most other OECD countries for several reasons, including poorer health-related behaviours and the highly fragmented nature of the US health system. The proportion of adults who smoke in the United States is among the lowest in OECD countries, but alcohol consumption is rising and obesity rate is the highest.

The 2015 edition introduces more detailed analysis of participation in early childhood and tertiary levels of education. The report also examines first generation tertiary-educated adults’ educational and social mobility, labour market outcomes for recent graduates, and participation in employer-sponsored formal and/or non-formal education.

This 4-page online document presents the key findings from OECD Pensions at a Glance 2015 and why it is important for the United States. It also identifies two key pension policy measures which would help improve the performance of pension systems in the United States.

President Barack Obama held a press conference at the OECD with international media on COP21 and Syria as his trip to Paris draws to a close. See photos of the event.

Drought in California has been in the headlines frequently these last three years, with startling pictures of empty reservoirs, rivers and canals, wildfires, disappearing snowpack and dry earth. Yet these dramatic effects have not stopped the agricultural sector from growing.

In 2012, 26% of students in the United States (U.S.) were low performers in mathematics (OECD average: 23%), 17% were low performers in reading (OECD average: 18%), 18% were low performers in science (OECD average: 18%), and 12% were low performers in all three of these subjects (OECD average: 12%)

The Secretary-General launched the OECD/Ford Foundation Inclusive Growth in Cities Campaign along with more than 20 mayors from around the world. He also held bilateral meetings with several mayors attending the event and met with UN ambassadors.

Mayors from cities across the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America gathered in New York to launch a global campaign to address rising inequalities and foster inclusive growth in their cities, in their countries and worldwide.

The Secretary-General attended the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FM&CBG) Meeting and the International Monetary Fund/World Bank (IMF/WB) Spring Meetings. He also presented the OECD Scoreboard on Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs and attended a series of meetings and other events.

The global economy is stuck in a low-growth trap that will require more coordinated and comprehensive use of fiscal, monetary and structural policies to move to a higher growth path and ensure that promises are kept to both young and old, according to the OECD’s latest Global Economic Outlook.

The Secretary-General was in Washington to present the 2016 OECD Economic Survey of the United States. He also delivered a keynote speech on inclusive cities, delivered remarks on improving opportunities for women in the United States, and attended the Bretton Woods II At Sea Event.

The US economy is making one of the strongest comebacks in the OECD, but there are risks on the horizon, according to the OECD’s latest Economic Survey of the United States.

Improving opportunities for women in the United States

The OECD has welcomed the release by China and the US of peer reviews of their fossil fuel subsidies.

Education at a Glance 2016 - Country Notes

The Secretary-General participated in a number of events including the UN General Assembly and the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants. He also presented the OECD International Migration Outlook 2016 as well as the OECD African Economic Outlook and the publication "States of Fragility 2016".

This country note provides an environmental tax and carbon pricing profile for the United States. It shows environmentally related tax revenues, taxes on energy use and effective carbon rates.

The number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) remains elevated in many countries since the crisis. This country note examines the characteristics of those at risk of being NEET in the United States with policies to help meet the challenge. It also includes many new youth-specific indicators on family formation, self-sufficiency, income and poverty, health and social cohesion.

The Secretary-General attended the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group. He also delivered remarks at a number of other events including a keynote speech on the “The Integration of Migrants and Refugees: Challenges and Opportunities” at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and the launch of the Model G20 Program at American University.

This country note presents student performance in science, reading and mathematics, and measures equity in education in the United States. The interactive charts allow you to compare results with other countries participating in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

This country note presents student performance in science, reading and mathematics, and measures equity in education in the United States.

The United States has maintained foreign aid volumes through the aftermath of the global economic crisis and has visibly improved the focus and effectiveness of its development assistance. These trends should be maintained and reforms to the U.S. Agency for International Development should be consolidated, according to a new OECD Review.

The OECD Secretary-General spoke to the Economic Club of Minnesota about what must be done to make the trade system that has benefited so many work for everyone.

Between 2000 and 2010, US manufacturing experienced a nightmare. The number of manufacturing jobs in the United States, which had been relatively stable at 17 million since 1965, declined by one third in that decade, falling by 5.8 million to below 12 million in 2010 (returning to just 12.3 million in 2016). Certainly, the 2007–08 recession accelerated the disruption, but the causes were also structural, not simply financial.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in New York, from 17 to 19 September 2017, to attend the United Nations General Assembly as well as several events organised in the margins of the UNGA.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, was in Washington DC on 20-21 September 2017 to meet with several US high level authorities.

Selected findings for the United States from the report "The Pursuit of Gender Equality: An Uphill Battle"

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, wasin Washington, DC from 12 to 14 October 2017 to attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (FM&CBG) and the 2017 International Monetary Fund / World Bank Annual Meetings.

Selected findings for the United States from the report "Preventing Ageing Unequally"

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, in Miami, 2-3 November 2017 to attend the Council of the Americas Symposium & 23rd Bravo Business Awards.

The OECD will hold a public consultation event on the tax challenges of digitalisation on 1 November at the University of California, Berkeley, United States.

This note presents selected country highlights from the OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2017 with a specific focus on digital trends among all themes covered.

Key findings for the United States from the report "Pensions at a Glance 2017"

This note presents marginal effective tax rates (METRs) that summarise the tax system’s impact on the incentives to make an additional investment in a particular type of savings. By comparing METRs on different types of household savings, we can gain insights into which assets or savings types receive the most favourable treatment from the tax system.

The Co-operative Research Programme (CRP)'s Call for Applications for conference sponsorship and research fellowships for funding in 2019 is now CLOSED. The CRP supports work on sustainable use of natural resources in agriculture, forests, fisheries and food production.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Washington, DC from 19th to 21st April to attend the 2018 International Monetary Fund / World Bank Spring Meetings, as well as meetings of G7 and G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.

Mr. Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD, will be in Washington on 6-7 June 2018 to present the 2018 OECD Economic Survey of the United States.While in Washington, the Secretary-General will hold bilateral meetings with several US high level officials.

The U.S. economy is experiencing one of the longest expansions on record, but the scars left by the Great Recession, as well as challenges posed by globalization and automation shocks, remain visible across the country, according to a new report from the OECD.

A broken social elevator? Key findings for United States