美国国家经济研究局（简称NBER)）1920年在纽约市成立，董事会包括研究型大学，与经济学相关的专业协会的代表以及商业和劳工界的领导者。NBER是一个私人、非盈利的无党派研究机构，致力于促进对重大经济问题的前沿调查和分析。通过每年发布1200多份工作论文和召120多次学术会议，向学术界、公共和私营部门决策者以及公众传播研究成果。
NBER由政府机构和私人基金会的赠款、公司和个人的捐款、订阅收入和投资组合收入提供支持。由近1700多名经济学家组成，研究人员分为20个研究项目，每个项目由一名主任或联合主任领导。每个项目的研究人员每年都会开会几次，分享和讨论他们的最新发现。
NBER以促进对经济运作更深的理解该局致力于在公共政策制订者、商业执业人员和学术界发展和传播公正的经济研究为宗旨，研究囊括社会所面临的许多问题，目前主要以四方面研究为主：开发新统计指标，估计经济行为的数量模型，评估公共政策对美国经济的影响，以及设想其他政策建议的影响。研究只负责提供数据和结果，并不对政策作规范性声明。
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) was founded in New York City in 1920 with a board of directors that included representatives of research universities, professional associations related to economics, and leaders in business and labor. NBER is a private, non-profit, nonpartisan research institute dedicated to facilitating cutting-edge investigation and analysis of major economic issues. Disseminate research to academics, public and private sector policymakers, and the public through the publication of more than 1,200 working papers and more than 120 academic conferences each year.
NBER is supported by grants from government agencies and private foundations, donations from companies and individuals, subscription income, and portfolio income. Made up of nearly 1,700 economists, the researchers are divided into 20 research projects, each led by a director or co-director. Researchers on each project meet several times a year to share and discuss their latest findings.
The Agency's commitment to developing and disseminating impartial economic research among public policy makers, business practitioners, and academia, NBER' research encompasses many of the problems facing society and is currently focused on four areas: the development of new statistical indicators, quantitative models for estimating economic behavior, assessing the impact of public policy on the U.S. economy, and envisaging the impact of other policy recommendations. The study is only responsible for providing data and results and does not make prescriptive statements about policy.