{"uid":"cap_woWBgKrGh36vATNMUSuWh","slug":"fathom-macroeconomic-data-api-categories-637ba2ab","name":"Fathom Macroeconomic Data API — Categories","description":"Free macroeconomic data API powered by FRED. 816,000+ economic time series. GDP, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, and more.","url":"https://fathoms.vercel.app/api/categories","method":"POST","headers":{},"bodySchema":{"type":"object","properties":{"categoryId":{"type":"string","description":"Category ID (default: 0 for top-level)"}}},"responseSchema":{"type":"object","required":["source"],"properties":{"source":{"type":"string"},"categories":{"type":"array","items":{"type":"object"}},"category_id":{"type":"string"}}},"example":null,"exampleRequest":null,"tags":["x402"],"displayCostAmount":"0.04","displayCostAsset":"USDC","priceDynamic":false,"priceHint":null,"priceStatus":"priced","priceSource":"registry","requiresHandshake":false,"reviewCount":0,"rating":{"score":"0.00","successRate":"0.00","reviews":0,"stars":null,"state":"unrated"},"availabilityStatus":"unknown","priceObserved":null,"sessionDeposit":null,"pricing":{"kind":"static","summary":"$0.04/call","primary":{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.04","per":"call","confidence":"exact"},"accepted":[{"kind":"static","protocol":"x402","network":"base","amountUsd":"0.04","per":"call","confidence":"exact"}]},"paymentMethods":[{"uid":"pm_d_kbWQp9rF4DuOJ98nEKA","protocol":"x402","methodType":"crypto","chain":"base","mode":"charge","costAmount":"0.04","costPer":"request","priority":0,"asset":null,"unit":"request","depositMicros":null,"planRef":null}],"brandName":null,"brandSlug":null,"brandBaseUrl":null,"brandDocsUrl":null,"whatItDoes":"Retrieves the list of economic data categories (or subcategories) from the FRED-powered Fathom API, enabling navigation of 816,000+ macroeconomic time series","exampleAgentPrompt":"Can you show me all the top-level categories of macroeconomic data available through Fathom's FRED-powered API so I can figure out which category to drill into for GDP data?","exampleUseCases":[{"title":"Browsing top-level economic categories","prompt":"Show me all the top-level economic data categories available — I want to understand the full taxonomy before I start pulling GDP and inflation series."},{"title":"Exploring subcategories for research","prompt":"What subcategories exist under FRED category 32991? I'm trying to find the right bucket for regional employment data."},{"title":"Building an economic data navigator","prompt":"List all the categories and subcategories in the Fathom macroeconomic API so I can build a dropdown menu for my dashboard that lets users pick the type of economic indicator they want to chart."}],"resultDescription":"Returns a JSON object containing the data source identifier ('FRED'), the requested category_id, and an array of category objects — each with a category name, ID, and parent ID — representing either the top-level categories or the subcategories under the requested parent category.","failureModes":["Invalid categoryId returns empty categories array or error","Non-existent categoryId returns no results","Network timeout from Vercel deployment under high load","Rate limiting or payment failure (x402) if USDC balance is insufficient","Category ID that has no children returns empty array"],"whenToPreferThis":"Use this endpoint when you need to discover or browse the hierarchical taxonomy of FRED economic data categories before fetching actual time series data. It is the right first step when you don't know the series ID and need to navigate the category tree. Prefer this over direct series search when exploring unfamiliar domains of macroeconomic data or building navigation UIs.","instructions":null,"reviewSummary":null,"reviewSummaryHighlights":null,"reviewSummaryConcerns":null,"reviewSummaryGeneratedAt":null,"activationCount":0,"lastUsedAt":null,"lastSuccessfullyRanAt":null,"lastHealthCheckAt":"2026-09-15T00:31:59.064Z","isFirstParty":false}