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Verifiable US economic data

In 2025, the US Department of Commerce published a verifiable reference to an official GDP release across public blockchain networks. The broader initiative has continued through data feeds that make GDP and other economic measures available to blockchain-based applications.

6 US macroeconomic data points available on Ethereum through Chainlink feeds

Public-data verification · United States

Institutional context

Official economic statistics are widely used by institutions, businesses, and researchers. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) already distributes them through regular publications and a public data API, which allows software and analytical tools to retrieve official data directly.

Beginning in 2025, the US Department of Commerce added new blockchain-based publication channels, including a verifiable reference to an official GDP release and data feeds that make selected BEA measures available to blockchain applications. The data-feed component continued into 2026.

The Department of Commerce coordinated publication across multiple blockchain networks, including Ethereum, and worked with Chainlink and Pyth on data distribution.

System design

For the Department of Commerce’s August 2025 publication of BEA’s second-quarter GDP release, the published record included an SHA-256 cryptographic hash of the official PDF. A cryptographic hash is a short code calculated from a document’s contents; if the PDF changes, the code changes too. Anyone with the official PDF can calculate its hash and compare it with the published value to check whether the document has been altered.

Alongside the publication of verifiable references to official releases, the Department of Commerce also worked with oracle providers to make selected BEA statistics available to blockchain-based applications. An oracle is a data-delivery service that brings information from external sources into blockchain applications.

Chainlink, one of the oracle providers used in the initiative, publishes feeds for measures including real GDP, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, and real final sales to private domestic purchasers. Commerce Department macroeconomic data continued to be published through these feeds in 2026.

Pyth, another oracle provider used in the initiative, makes official economic data available to blockchain-based applications. It initially described support for five years of quarterly GDP releases and later expanded its economic data coverage.

As of September 2026, Pyth continued to list the US Department of Commerce among its institutional data publishers. These data feeds are separate from the Department’s original publication of a cryptographic hash for the GDP release.

Ethereum’s role

Ethereum’s public network was one of the nine networks used for the initial GDP record. The Department also published to Arbitrum One and Optimism, Ethereum layer 2 networks, alongside other blockchains. The separate data-feed component has continued to distribute Commerce Department data across Ethereum and other networks.

Ethereum makes the published reference available for independent review. It also allows smart contracts, programs that run on Ethereum, to use the published data as an input. It does not calculate GDP, check the underlying economic survey responses, or eliminate the need to trust BEA’s statistical work and the chosen data-delivery service.

Status and milestones

  1. September 2026

    Pyth continued to list the US Department of Commerce among its institutional data publishers.

  2. 30 July 2026

    New US Department of Commerce macroeconomic data was published through Chainlink.

  3. 4 September 2025

    Pyth announced additional economic feeds covering employment, inflation, growth, and business activity, following the Commerce collaboration.

  4. 28 August 2025

    Chainlink announced BEA data feeds, including GDP and the PCE Price Index, with initial availability across ten public blockchain networks.

  5. 28 August 2025

    The Department published the cryptographic hash for the Q2 2025 GDP release across nine blockchain networks. On networks that supported it, the headline GDP figure was published as well. The Department also disclosed the address and source code of the Ethereum smart contract used for the release.

Implementation considerations

A matching cryptographic hash can confirm that a document is the same as the version published by the Department of Commerce, but it does not confirm that the economic estimate itself is correct. Users still need to rely on the BEA as the official source and distinguish preliminary estimates from later revisions.

Applications using the economic data feeds also need to account for reporting periods, units, update schedules, and any missing or revised data. The availability of a feed does not mean that the US government has reviewed or approved any application or financial product that uses it.

Sources