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.
<br><br><br>