Bureau of Labor Statistics
GovernmentThe Bureau of Labor Statistics is a federal agency within the Department of Labor that collects, analyzes, and publishes labor market and economic data. It produces the monthly jobs report (Employment Situation), the Consumer Price Index tracking inflation, the Producer Price Index, and wage data across industries and regions. BLS data underpins Federal Reserve decisions, congressional policy, and business strategy. The agency conducts surveys of businesses and households to measure employment levels, job growth, unemployment rates, hours worked, and earnings. It also tracks occupational trends and publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook. All data is publicly available and regularly revised as new information arrives.
Pinned datasets
Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)
Job and unemployment numbers for your state, city, or county updated every month. This is the data behind headlines like 'unemployment in Texas rose to 4.2%' or 'Denver added 3,000 jobs.' You can see whether your local labor market is heating up or cooling down, how it compares to other areas, and whether the trend has been improving or declining.
State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings (CES)
You see headlines about job numbers every month. This is where they come from. It shows how many people have jobs in each state, broken down by industry like manufacturing, retail, or healthcare. It also tells you average hours worked and average pay. Updated monthly, so you can track whether employment is going up or down in your state and which industries are hiring or cutting back.
Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)
Which jobs are most dangerous? This data tracks workplace injuries and illnesses by industry, showing how many workers get hurt or sick and how serious it is. You can see which industries have the highest injury rates, whether workers had to miss work, and how this has changed year to year. It's the kind of data safety managers use to understand where problems are happening.
Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE)
Ever wonder where Americans actually spend their money? This survey asks thousands of households to report everything they buy, from their monthly grocery bill to car insurance to trips to the dentist. You get the full picture: how much people spend on rent versus food, how spending changes when people earn more, and which categories eat up the biggest chunk of the budget. It's the only survey of its kind that captures the whole household spending story, not just a piece of it.
American Time Use Survey (ATUS)
Where does the day go? This survey asks thousands of Americans to track every hour and figure it out. How much time do people spend working versus on household chores, childcare, volunteering, or just relaxing. It's been running since 2003, so you can see whether Americans are working more or less, spending more time with kids, or having more leisure time than they did 10 or 20 years ago.
Producer Price Index by Commodity (PPI Commodities)
When manufacturers talk about rising costs, they're often referring to the prices they pay for raw materials and supplies. This data tracks exactly that: what producers pay for metals, chemicals, lumber, energy, and hundreds of other commodities. It goes back decades and updates every month. If steel prices spike or lumber gets cheaper, you'll see it here first, usually before those changes show up in consumer prices at the store.