Unit 4: Communities at Work

People work at many different jobs to earn money for the things they need, such as food, clothing, and shelter. Most people are employees, or work for someone else. Employees get paid a salary for their work. A producer makes, grows, or supplies goods for services; a consumer buys those goods or uses a service. Businesses buy from other businesses to supply needs.

We use money to buy things. Families and businesses plan to pay for the things they need, like food and clothing, with a budget. With the money left over, they can make choices about buying things they want, like a video game or movie tickets. A savings account is money a person keeps in a bank.

Agriculture-the business of growing crops or raising animals for food-is an important part of the United States economy. Manufacturing helped produce goods quickly and more cheaply. Countries import-bring in goods from another country-and export-send goods out of a country-goods to help their economy. Countries all over the world buy and sell goods to one another. States within the United States also trade their goods and services.