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The United States Government Manual
Bureau of Labor Statistics
2 Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20212
202-691-7800
800-877-8339 (TDD)
http://www.bls.gov
| COMMISSIONER | William W. Beach |
| Deputy Commissioner | William J. Wiatrowski |
The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures labor market activity, working conditions, price changes, and productivity in the Nation's economy to support decision making in both the public and private sectors.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was established, in the Department of the Interior, as the Bureau of Labor by the act of June 27, 1884 (23 Stat. 60). It was renamed the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 737). The BLS measures labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. It also collects, analyzes, and disseminates essential economic information to support public and private decisionmaking.
The Bureau strives to have its data satisfy a number of criteria, including: relevance to current social and economic issues, timeliness in reflecting today's rapidly changing economic conditions, accuracy and consistently high statistical quality, and impartiality in both subject matter and presentation.
Basic data are published in news releases on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Basic data also are published in bulletins, reports, special publications, and periodicals. Regional offices issue additional reports and releases that often contain content of local or regional relevance.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/infohome.htmSources of Information
A–Z Index
The BLS website has an A–Z index to help visitors navigate its content.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/topicsaz.htmAnnouncements
The BLS posts announcements on its website.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/announcement.htmArchived Records
The "Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States" indicates that BLS records have been assigned to record group 257.
https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/257.htmlBlog
The official BLS blog is called "Commissioner's Corner."
https://blogs.bls.gov/blogCalculators
The "Databases, Tables, and Calculators by Subject" web page has an inflation calculator that allows users to calculate change in the buying power of the dollar over the years. An injury and illness calculator allows users to calculate injury and illness incidence rates for a specific establishment or firm and to compare those rates with the averages for the Nation, for States, and for the sector of industry to which the establishment or firm belongs.
https://www.bls.gov/data/#calculatorsCareer Opportunities
To carry out its mission, the BLS relies on professionals who have diverse educational backgrounds, skills, and training. The agency relies heavily on the work of economists, information technology specialists, and mathematical statisticians.
https://www.bls.gov/jobs/home.htmIn 2019, the BLS ranked 93d among 420 agency subcomponents in the Partnership for Public Service's Best Places To Work Agency Rankings.
https://bestplacestowork.org/rankings/detail/DLLSContact Information
The "Information and Help" web page has an electronic form for requesting information and asking questions. Postal correspondence should be addressed to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Postal Square Building, 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE., Washington, DC 20212–0001. Phone, 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service, 800-877-8339.
https://data.bls.gov/forms/opb.htm?/home.htmContact information for the eight BLS regional offices is available online: Atlanta, 404-331-3415; Boston, 617-565-2327; Chicago, 312-353-1880; Dallas, 972-850-4800; Kansas City, 816-285-7000; New York, 646-264-3600; Philadelphia, 215-597-3282; and San Francisco, 415-625-2270.
https://www.bls.gov/regions/contacts.htmData Sources
Much of the information (e.g., databases and historical news release tables) that the BLS publishes is available from the "Databases, Tables, and Calculators by Subject" web page.
https://www.bls.gov/data | Email: blsdata_staff@bls.govSome BLS data are available only through the home pages of individual programs—rather than from the "Databases, Tables, and Calculators by Subject" web page. These programs are listed on the "Subject Areas" page. For example, tables of employment projections data are available through the "Employment Projections" page; American time use survey data are available through the "American Time Use Survey" page; and national longitudinal surveys data are available through the "National Longitudinal Surveys" page.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/proghome.htmCertain BLS program data are available in compressed ZIP files. Some of these files are accessible on download.bls.gov. Other ZIP files may be located by starting at the home page of a specific program.
https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/compressed/tape.formatEconomic Summaries
The BLS regional information offices produce economic summaries that are organized by State and posted in Portable Document Format (PDF) for viewing and downloading. Each summary presents a sampling of economic information on benefits, employment, prices, spending, wages, and unemployment for a particular area (e.g., Boston or Sacramento).
https://www.bls.gov/regions/economic-summaries.htmEconomy at a Glance
The "Economy at a Glance" web page has at-a-glance economic tables for many metropolitan areas nationwide.
https://www.bls.gov/eagMonthly and quarterly economic data for the Nation are also posted in an at-a-glance format.
https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htmEducational Resources
The "K–12" web pages include games and quizzes, sections for students and their teachers, a history timeline, and biographies of former Commissioners.
https://www.bls.gov/k12Federal Register
Significant documents and documents that the BLS recently published in the Federal Register are accessible online.
https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/labor-statistics-bureauFinding Data
The "BLS Data Finder 1.1" web page has a search tool that uses the conjunction "and" as the default search operator. This feature produces display results that contain all of the search terms. To find data that contains a particular combination of terms, the user must separate the terms by inserting the conjunction "or" between them.
https://beta.bls.gov/dataQuery/searchFrequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The BLS posts answers to FAQs.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/faqs.htmGlossary
The BLS has a glossary on its website.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/glossary.htmHistory
The Bureau has been collecting data and crunching numbers for over 135 years. Over its long history, the BLS started out as the Bureau of Labor and part of the Department of the Interior; became an independent department for nearly 15 years; was incorporated into the former Department of Commerce and Labor; and was transferred to the newly created Department of Labor in 1913. To learn more of the story, visit the "BLS History" section.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/history/home.htmNews
The BLS posts economic news releases, some of which are released on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/newsrels.htm#latest-releasesPublications
The BLS publishes bulletins and reports and economic news releases. Its major publications include "Beyond the Numbers," "Career Outlook," "Monthly Labor Review," "Occupational Outlook Handbook," "The Economics Daily", and "Spotlight on Statistics."
https://www.bls.gov/opubRegional Information
Economic data and statistics according to geographic areas are available on the "Regional Information Offices" page.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/regnhome.htmResearch Papers
The Office of Survey Methods Research maintains an online research paper database.
https://www.bls.gov/osmr/research-papersResources
BLS economists, information technology specialists, and mathematical statisticians place a premium on accuracy, currency, innovation, objectivity, relevancy, and transparency. They strive to invest BLS datasets and informational products with these qualities, which help make them useful to a variety of audiences: business leaders, consumers, developers, economists, educators, investors, job seekers, members of the media, policymakers, researchers, and students.
https://www.bls.gov/audience | Email: blsdata_staff@bls.govSelect Datasets and Indices
The "Top Picks" web page allows easy access to the most requested price indices, as well as to the most requested employment, compensation, and productivity data tables.
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?blsA "Help and Tutorials" page is dedicated to the "Top Picks" application.
https://www.bls.gov/help/hlpmrs.htmSite Map
The BLS website map allows visitors to look for specific topics or to browse content that aligns with their interests.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/sitemap.htmSocial Media
The BLS tweets announcements and other newsworthy items on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BLS_govThe BLS posts videos on its YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCijn3WBpHtx4AvSya7NER9QStatistical Websites
The "Statistical Sites on the World Wide Web" allows easy access to a collection of Internet sites that are not administered by the BLS.
https://www.bls.gov/bls/other.htmThe Sources of Information were updated 9–2020.