BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program is a
federal-state cooperative effort in which monthly estimates of total
employment and unemployment are prepared for over 7,500 areas:
Census regions and divisionsStatesMetropolitan Statistical AreasMetropolitan DivisionsMicropolitan Statistical AreasCombined Metropolitan Statistical AreasSmall Labor Market AreasCounties and county equivalentsCities of 25,000 population or moreCities and towns in New England regardless of population
These estimates are key indicators of local economic conditions. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor is
responsible for the concepts, definitions, technical procedures,
validation, and publication of the estimates that state workforce
agencies prepare under agreement with BLS.
A wide variety of customers use these estimates:
Federal programs use the data for allocations to states and areas, as well as eligibility determinations for assistance.State and local governments use the estimates for planning and
budgetary purposes and to determine the need for local employment and
training services.Private industry, researchers, the media, and other individuals use
the data to assess localized labor market developments and make
comparisons across areas.
The concepts and definitions underlying LAUS data come from the
Current Population Survey (CPS), the household survey that is the source
of the national unemployment rate. State monthly model-based estimates
are controlled in "real time" to sum to national monthly employment and
unemployment estimates from the CPS. These models combine current and
historical data from the CPS, the Current Employment Statistics (CES)
survey, and state unemployment insurance (UI) systems. Estimates for
seven large areas and their respective balances of state also are
model-based. Estimates for counties are produced through a
building-block approach known as the "Handbook method." This procedure
also uses data from several sources, including the CPS, the CES program,
state UI systems, and the Census Bureau's American Community Survey
(ACS), to create estimates that are adjusted to the statewide measures
of employment and unemployment. Estimates for cities are prepared using
disaggregation techniques based on inputs from the ACS, annual
population estimates, and current UI data.
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地方区域失业统计（Local Area Unemployment Statistics, LAUS）项目是一项联邦-州合作计划，为超过7500个区域编制月度总就业与失业估算数据，涵盖普查区域及分区、各州、大都市统计区、大都市分区、微型都市统计区、联合大都市统计区、小型劳动力市场区域、县及县等效区域、人口25000及以上的城市，以及新英格兰地区无论人口规模的城镇。

此类估算数据是反映地方经济状况的核心指标。美国劳工部下属的劳工统计局（Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS）负责制定相关概念、定义、技术流程与验证标准，并发布由各州劳动力机构根据与该局签订的合作协议所编制的估算数据。

各类用户广泛使用此类估算数据：联邦项目利用该数据向各州及区域分配资源，同时开展援助资格认定；州与地方政府将其用于规划与预算编制，评估本地就业与培训服务的需求；私营企业、研究人员、媒体及其他个体则借助该数据研判局部劳动力市场动态，并开展区域间对比分析。

LAUS数据所依托的概念与定义源自当前人口调查（Current Population Survey, CPS）——这是编制全国失业率的家庭调查项目。各州月度模型估算值会在“实时”状态下受控于当前人口调查的全国月度就业与失业估算总和。此类模型整合了来自当前人口调查、当前就业统计（Current Employment Statistics, CES）调查以及州失业保险（Unemployment Insurance, UI）系统的当期与历史数据。七个大型区域及其所在州的其余区域的估算值同样基于模型生成。县域估算值通过被称为“手册法”的积木式方法编制，该流程同样依托多源数据，包括当前人口调查、当前就业统计项目、州失业保险系统，以及普查局的美国社区调查（American Community Survey, ACS），最终生成适配全州就业与失业衡量标准的估算值。城市估算值则采用基于美国社区调查、年度人口估算值与当期失业保险数据的细分技术进行编制。