National Savings Rate

The National Savings Rate is the total U.S. income...minus spending, including both consumers and the federal government. The National Savings Rate is an estimate calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

While it sounds like it might be referring to how consumers are saving alone...like, via investments and savings accounts…that's not the case. When the federal government is running a deficit, spending more than it's making, the National Savings Rate will be lower than the consumer savings rate, since it includes both parties.

The National Savings Rate is kind of a cool thing, since it includes both people and the government. It's affected by government programs, sometimes in two ways. For instance, retirement programs and government benefits programs affect both government spending and consumer saving. It’s possible that the more the government is spending on these programs, the less consumers are saving. And like many other economic indicators, the National Savings Rate is one of many factors that can indicate economic health (i.e. growth).