How Your Data Are Used
The Current Population Survey (CPS) is the source of the nation’s unemployment rate that
you may read or hear about monthly in the news, and is the primary source of information on the labor force
characteristics of the U.S. population. The survey results provide estimates for the nation
as a whole and are used in developing statistics for individual states and other
geographic areas.
Data from the CPS are used by policymakers and analysts as important indicators
of our nation’s economic situation. They are also used by business, the media, students, academics,
and the general public.
In order to obtain an accurate measurement of the U.S. labor force, it is important that everyone
who has been selected for the survey participates.
CPS data allow us to answer these types of questions:
Visit the CPS data homepage for more information published by BLS
from the CPS on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
Learn more about How the Government Measures Unemployment.
Browse CPS data on the labor force,
employed,
unemployed,
persons not in the labor force,
hours of work,
earnings, and other
demographic and labor force characteristics.
Last Modified Date: September 23, 2011
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