Almost every issue in the news has economic implications and you can find the data to support your stories in the links below. They provide graphical data regarding business and economic issues in the news from executive pay to food stamp usage.
Data on totals and distributions of, as well as changes in, executive compensation for the C.E.O.s of 199 public companies with a minimum revenue of $6.3 billion stated by the end of March this year; sortable.
Food Stamp Usage Across the Country
A map and chart display the percentage of food stamp recipients by county across the county. Also breaks down the percentage of children, whites and blacks receiving food stamps and the percentage change from 2007-2009
A map shows that the hardest-hit parts of the country have been manufacturing regions, like Michigan, Ohio and Rhode Island, and areas that had huge housing bubbles, like California, Florida and Nevada. (Updated August 10, 2010 with June data. Figures are not seasonally adjusted.)
An interactive map providing the geographic variations of Medicare costs and the rates of different kinds of surgeries.
New York Stimulus (ProPublica)
An overview of New York's stimulus dollars with breakdowns by county
The Stimulus Plan: How to Spend $787 Billion (New York Times)
A detailed look at the final package passed by Congress, based on estimates by House and Senate committees and the Congressional Budget Office.