About The 2008 Book of Charts
Authors
Nicola Moore
Research Coordinator
Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies
Stephen Keen
Research Assistant
Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies
Rea S. Hederman Jr.
Assistant Director & Senior Policy Analyst
Center for Data Analysis
Alison Acosta Fraser
Director
Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies
Contact the Authors
Email:
E-mail the authors
Address:
The Heritage Foundation
214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4999
Technical notes
The following charts are based mostly on data from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the
historical growth of the federal government from1965 to 2008
while the charts using CBO data display both historical and
projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2082.
The charts provide data on an annual basis (except where
computations are made for Administration averages), with
vertical lines denoting different congressional leadership. As a
corollary, all spending and revenue data are based on a fiscal year.
However, for the purpose of simplicity, they are treated as calendar
years in the charts. Prior to 1976, the fiscal year was from
July 1 to June 30. Following that year, the current format of
October 1 to September 30 was implemented. In the charts, the
transition is omitted for clarity.
Also, in all charts in which spending or revenue is measured by
taxpayer, taxpayers are counted as the number of individual
income tax returns filed (according to data from the Internal
Revenue Service) per year. Thus, married couples that both work
but file a joint return are counted as a single combined-income
unit.
Most of the data are adjusted for inflation in 2007 dollars. Furthermore, specific information regarding data is indicated at the bottom of each chart.
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