The 2013 Federal Reserve Payments Study

Recent and Long-Term Trends in the United States: 2000–2012.

Underlying the net economic output of the country are billions of transactions between buyers
and sellers of goods and services (such as consumers and merchants, factories and suppliers,
employers and employees), as well as various financial transactions (such as transfers of
balances between accounts, loan originations, and loan payments). The 2013 Federal Reserve
Payments Study attempts to measure the number and value of all such transactions conducted
over noncash payment systems—including general-purpose and private-label card systems,
automated clearinghouse (ACH), and checks. The study builds on the triennial Federal Reserve
Payments Study series, conducted since 2001, to paint a more comprehensive picture of the
U.S. payments system.