---
title: ToolRouter — Tool Detail
description: Detailed documentation for a ToolRouter tool including skills, parameters, and examples.
url: https://toolrouter.com/tools/economic-data
---
# Economic Data

Access US government data: Census demographics at zip-code level, 800K+ FRED time series (rates, GDP, inflation), BLS employment data (unemployment, CPI, wages), and 400K+ Data.gov datasets. Answer questions like "median income in 90210" or "current federal funds rate" with authoritative data.

- **Version:** 0.01
- **Categories:** finance, data

## Skills (5)

### Census Lookup (`census_lookup`)

Query US Census Bureau ACS 5-Year data. Get demographics, income, housing, education, and employment data for any state, county, zip code, metro area, or census tract.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `variables` | string | Yes | Comma-separated ACS variable codes (e.g. B01001_001E for population, B19013_001E for median income) |
| `geo_type` | string | Yes | Geographic level to query (state, county, zip, place, metro, congressional_district, tract) |
| `geo_code` | string | No | FIPS code for the geography, or "*" for all entities at that level. States: 2-digit (06=CA). Counties: 3-digit within state. Zip: 5-digit. [default: "*"] |
| `state` | string | No | State FIPS code (required for county, place, congressional_district, tract queries) |
| `year` | number | No | ACS data year (2009-2022 available) [default: 2022] |

**Returns:** Census data rows with geographic names and requested variable values

**Examples:**

*Median income in Beverly Hills 90210:*

```json
{
  "variables": "B19013_001E",
  "geo_type": "zip",
  "geo_code": "90210"
}
```

*Population of all US states:*

```json
{
  "variables": "B01001_001E",
  "geo_type": "state",
  "geo_code": "*"
}
```

*Population and income for California counties:*

```json
{
  "variables": "B01001_001E,B19013_001E",
  "geo_type": "county",
  "geo_code": "*",
  "state": "06"
}
```

### Search FRED Series (`fred_search`)

Search 800,000+ FRED economic data series by keyword. Find series IDs for GDP, interest rates, inflation, housing, employment, and more.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `query` | string | Yes | Search keywords (e.g. "mortgage rate", "unemployment", "GDP", "housing starts") |
| `limit` | number | No | Max results (1-50) [default: 10] |

**Returns:** List of matching FRED series with IDs, titles, units, frequency, and date ranges

**Examples:**

*Find mortgage rate series:*

```json
{
  "query": "mortgage rate"
}
```

*Find housing data:*

```json
{
  "query": "housing starts"
}
```

### Get FRED Series Data (`fred_series`)

Get time series observations for a FRED economic data series. Returns date/value pairs for any of 800,000+ economic indicators.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `series_id` | string | Yes | FRED series ID (case-sensitive). Common: GDP, UNRATE, CPIAUCSL, FEDFUNDS, DGS10, SP500, MORTGAGE30US, MSPUS |
| `start_year` | number | No | Start year for observations (default: all available) |
| `end_year` | number | No | End year for observations (default: latest) |
| `limit` | number | No | Max observations to return, newest first (1-200) [default: 60] |

**Returns:** Series metadata (title, units, frequency) and time series observations sorted newest first

**Examples:**

*Current federal funds rate:*

```json
{
  "series_id": "FEDFUNDS",
  "limit": 12
}
```

*S&P 500 for the last 5 years:*

```json
{
  "series_id": "SP500",
  "start_year": 2021
}
```

*US unemployment rate history:*

```json
{
  "series_id": "UNRATE"
}
```

### BLS Time Series (`bls_series`)

Get Bureau of Labor Statistics time series data — unemployment, CPI, wages, employment, and more. Supports multiple series in one call.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `series_ids` | string | Yes | Comma-separated BLS series IDs. Common: LNS14000000 (unemployment), CUUR0000SA0 (CPI), CES0000000001 (nonfarm employment) |
| `start_year` | number | No | Start year (default: 3 years ago; max 20 with API key) |
| `end_year` | number | No | End year (default: current year) |

**Returns:** BLS time series data with year, period, value, and optional calculations

**Examples:**

*US unemployment rate:*

```json
{
  "series_ids": "LNS14000000"
}
```

*CPI and unemployment together:*

```json
{
  "series_ids": "CUUR0000SA0,LNS14000000",
  "start_year": 2023
}
```

### Search Government Datasets (`dataset_search`)

Search 400,000+ US government datasets on Data.gov. Returns metadata, descriptions, and download links for federal, state, and local datasets.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `query` | string | Yes | Search keywords (e.g. "climate change", "crime statistics", "education") |
| `limit` | number | No | Max results (1-50) [default: 10] |
| `organization` | string | No | Filter by publishing organization slug (e.g. "census-gov", "noaa-gov", "nasa-gov", "epa-gov") |
| `format` | string | No | Filter by resource format (e.g. "CSV", "JSON", "API", "XML") |

**Returns:** Government dataset metadata with titles, descriptions, tags, organizations, and resource download links

**Examples:**

*Find climate datasets:*

```json
{
  "query": "climate change"
}
```

*Census CSV datasets about housing:*

```json
{
  "query": "housing",
  "organization": "census-gov",
  "format": "CSV"
}
```

## Quick Start

```bash
# Via CLI
TOOLROUTER_API_KEY=tr_live_xxx npx -y toolrouter-mcp call economic-data census_lookup --variables B19013_001E --geo_type zip --geo_code 90210

# Via REST API
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer tr_live_xxx" \
     -d '{"tool":"economic-data","skill":"census_lookup","input":{"variables":"B19013_001E","geo_type":"zip","geo_code":"90210"}}' \
     https://api.toolrouter.com/v1/tools/call
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I look up demographics for a zip code or city?

`census_lookup` returns ACS data for states, counties, zip codes, metros, and tracts, including population, income, housing, and education.

### How do I find GDP, inflation, or interest-rate series?

Use `fred_search` to find the series ID, then `fred_series` to fetch the observations.

### Can I get unemployment, CPI, or wage data?

Yes. `bls_series` handles BLS time series, including unemployment, CPI, employment, and wages.

### Can I search for public datasets too?

`dataset_search` covers Data.gov and returns dataset metadata plus download links.

---

## Get Started with ToolRouter

**Already connected?** Call any tool with `use_tool({ tool, skill, input })`. Browse tools with `discover` or visit https://toolrouter.com/llms-full.txt

**New to ToolRouter?** Connect with one command (no API key needed — auto-provisions on first use):

```bash
# MCP (Claude Code, Codex CLI)
claude mcp add toolrouter -- npx -y toolrouter-mcp

# MCP (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop)
{"mcpServers":{"toolrouter":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","toolrouter-mcp"]}}}

# Claude Chat / Claude Cowork / Claude Mobile — add as a connector:
# Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → URL: https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp

# ChatGPT — add as an app:
# Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → enable Developer mode → Create app → MCP Server URL: https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp

# CLI (works instantly, no restart needed)
npx -y toolrouter-mcp tools                    # browse all tools
npx -y toolrouter-mcp search "seo"             # search by keyword
npx -y toolrouter-mcp call seo analyze_page --url https://example.com
```

Free tools work immediately. For paid tools, visit https://toolrouter.com/claim to add credits.

All platforms: https://toolrouter.com/connect | Full catalog: https://toolrouter.com/llms-full.txt | Docs: https://toolrouter.com/docs