BLS Homepage Tutorial

Welcome to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website. This tutorial provides an overview of some of the features of the site’s homepage.

The center section of the page contains fresh content from across the Bureau, including excerpts from the two most recent BLS News Releases.

To view the scheduled dates for BLS News Releases, click on the "Release Calendar" button at the top of the page.

   

Directly beneath this button, you will find a section with the "Latest Numbers" for some of the most popular BLS statistics. This section also provides links to recent news releases and to historical data.

In addition to the content directly available on the homepage, there are several ways to search for information.

First, a Search box is available at the top of each page. You can enter keywords and search the entire BLS website …or you can use the drop-down menu to restrict your search to a specific section.

Topics of general interest are listed in the column on the left side of the page.

If you hold your mouse over any of these topics, a fly-out menu will appear to the right.

For example, let's say you want to find out the current unemployment rate in the state of Maine.

If you hold your mouse over the word "Unemployment," a menu will appear.

If you click on the words "State and Local Unemployment Rates," you will be able to find the unemployment rate for Maine.

The "Resources For:"section in the left-hand column provides information for specific types of users.

For example, individuals who are looking for a job could click on the "Job Seekers" link to find information related to the job market in each State, expected earnings, job search tips, and more.

The tabs at the top of each page are another way to quickly jump to BLS content.

For example, you can click on the Databases & Calculators tab to view existing tables of the Bureau's most requested statistics or to begin creating your own customized data tables.

You can click on the Publications tab to view a list of popular BLS publications, including the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Monthly Labor Review.

Another convenient way to access BLS content is to use the "Quick Links" section located at the bottom of each page. This section contains links to some of the most commonly requested BLS information.

This concludes the tutorial for the BLS Homepage. Thank you for using the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Website.