Current Population Survey — Labor Force Statistics

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a sample survey of the population 16 years of age and over. The survey is conducted each month by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and provides comprehensive data on the labor force, the employed, and the unemployed, classified by such characteristics as age, sex, race, family relationship, marital status, occupation, and industry attachment. The information is collected by trained interviewers from a sample of about 60,000 households located in 754 sample areas chosen to represent all counties and independent cities in the United States, with coverage in 50 States and the District of Columbia. The data collected are based on the activity or status reported for the calendar week including the 12th of the month.

CPS data are available for the civilian, noninstitutional population age 16 and older and various detailed groups, with estimates available by age, race, sex, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, employment status, occupation, industry, class of worker, educational attainment, telework status, and other characteristics. CPS data are collected each month, and monthly estimates are presented in the Employment Situation News Release. Some data series are available as quarterly or annual averages. Data include counts (presented in thousands) and rates such as the unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, and employment-population ratio.