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Python function: getFredData()
SpecificationValue
Delivery Frequencycontinuous, real-time
Data Frequencyvaries by series (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual)
Coverage10M+ economic series from FRED
SourceFederal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) — api.stlouisfed.org
AvailabilityFree

Product Overview

Overview

FRED Macroeconomic Data provides access to the full Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) database — over 10 million economic time series covering labor markets, inflation, housing, monetary policy, GDP, interest rates, trade, and more. Each query returns observations for a specific FRED series over a date range. Series are identified by their FRED series ID (e.g. CPIAUCSL for CPI, UNRATE for unemployment rate, GDP for gross domestic product).

Data Pipeline

Scalar Field proxies FRED data in real-time from the FRED API. Each query fetches live observations directly — there is no local caching delay. Series discovery is powered by semantic search over FRED metadata, so you can find the right series by describing what you need in natural language.

Querying the Data

Basic Usage

from scalarlib import getFredData

# CPI (Consumer Price Index)
df = getFredData('CPIAUCSL', '2023-01-01', '2023-12-31')

# Unemployment rate
df = getFredData('UNRATE', '2020-01-01', '2026-01-01')

# Federal funds rate
df = getFredData('FEDFUNDS', '2022-01-01', '2026-01-01')
To find the series ID for a concept, ask Scalar Field in chat — for example, “What is the FRED series ID for unemployment rate?” The platform uses semantic search over FRED metadata, so natural language descriptions work well. You can also browse the common series table below.

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
series_idstrYesFRED series ID (e.g. "CPIAUCSL", "UNRATE", "GDP"). Ask in chat to look up, or see the common series table below.
startstrYesStart date (YYYY-MM-DD). Filters on observation date.
endstrYesEnd date (YYYY-MM-DD). Filters on observation date.

Return Schema

ColumnTypeDescription
titlestringSeries title (e.g. “Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average”)
datedatetimeObservation date
valuefloatObservation value

Common Series

Series IDNameFrequency
GDPGross Domestic ProductQuarterly
CPIAUCSLConsumer Price Index (All Urban Consumers)Monthly
UNRATEUnemployment RateMonthly
FEDFUNDSFederal Funds Effective RateMonthly
T10Y2Y10-Year Treasury Minus 2-Year TreasuryDaily
HOUSTHousing StartsMonthly
PAYEMSAll Employees, Total NonfarmMonthly
PCEPIPersonal Consumption Expenditures Price IndexMonthly
M2SLM2 Money SupplyMonthly
DEXUSEUUS Dollar / Euro Exchange RateDaily