Bureau of Labor Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Agency overview
Formed	1884
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Postal Square Building Washington, D.C.
Employees	2,500[1]
Annual budget	$618.2 million [2]
Agency executives	Erica Groshen[3], Commissioner [4] John M. (Jack) Galvin [5], Deputy Commissioner [4]
Website	www.bls.gov www.dol.gov/bls

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor representatives. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor, and conducts research into how much families need to earn to be able to enjoy a decent standard of living.^[6]

The BLS data must satisfy a number of criteria, including relevance to current social and economic issues, timeliness in reflecting today’s rapidly changing economic conditions, accuracy and consistently high statistical quality, and impartiality in both subject matter and presentation. To avoid the appearance of partiality, the dates of major data releases are scheduled more than a year in advance, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget.

History

The Bureau of Labor was established in the Department of the Interior by the Bureau of Labor Act (23 Stat. 60), June 27, 1884, to collect information about employment and labor. It became an independent (sub-Cabinet) department by the Department of Labor Act (25 Stat. 182), June 13, 1888. It was incorporated, as the Bureau of Labor, into the Department of Commerce and Labor by the Department of Commerce Act (32 Stat. 827), February 14, 1903. Finally, it was transferred to the Department of Labor in 1913 where it resides today. The BLS is now headquartered in the Postal Square Building near the United States Capitol and Union Station. The BLS is headed by a commissioner who serves a four year term from the date he or she takes office. The current Commissioner of Labor Statistics is Erica Groshen, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 2, 2013 and sworn in as the 14th Commissioner of Labor Statistics on January 29, 2013.^[7][8]

Statistical reporting

Surveys, Indices, and Statistics produced by the BLS fall into 4 main categories:

Prices

• U.S. Consumer Price Index
• Producer Price Index
• U.S. Import and Export Price Indices
• Consumer Expenditure Survey

Employment and unemployment

Unemployment measurements by the BLS from 1950 - 2010

• Current Population Survey (The "Household Survey")
  • The American Time Use Survey^[9]
• Current Employment Statistics^[10] (The "Establishment Survey")
  • Payroll Employment
  • Economic geography
  • Salary Data
• Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)^[11]
  • List of U.S. states by unemployment rate
• Current Employment Statistics State and Area program^[12]
• The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)^[13]
• The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)^[14]
• The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) program^[15]
• Ten year occupational employment projections
• Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
• Mass Layoff Survey^[16]

Compensation and working conditions

• National Compensation Survey
  • Employment Cost Index
• Workplace Injury and Fatality Statistics^[17]

Productivity

• Productivity^[18]

Statistical regions

Data produced by the BLS is often categorized into groups of states known as Census Regions. There are 4 Census Regions, which are further categorized by Census Division as follows:

Northeast Region

• New England Division: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
• Middle Atlantic Division: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

South Region

• South Atlantic Division: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
• East South Central Division: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
• West South Central Division: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Midwest Region

• East North Central Division: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
• West North Central Division: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

West Region

• Mountain Division: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
• Pacific Division: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

See also

• Bureau of Economic Analysis
• Career Guide to Industries
• Economic reports
• Index of Leading Indicators
• Job Creation Index
• Monthly Labor Review
• National Income and Product Accounts
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• U.S. Census Bureau

Footnotes

Further reading

• Joseph P. Goldberg and William T. Moye, The First 100 Years of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bulletin No. 2235. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1985.

External links

• Official website
• Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Federal Register
• Publications of the BLS available on FRASER

Agencies under the United States Department of Labor Headquarters: Frances Perkins Building Thomas Perez, Secretary of Labor Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary of Labor Deputy Secretary of Labor Administrative Review Board Benefits Review Board Bureau of International Labor Affairs Bureau of Labor Statistics Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Employees' Compensation Appeals Board Employee Benefits Security Administration Office of Administrative Law Judges Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Employment and Training Administration Mine Safety and Health Administration Occupational Safety and Health Administration Office of the Chief Financial Officer Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Office of Inspector General Office of Labor-Management Standards Office of Public Engagement Office of the Solicitor Office of Workers' Compensation Programs Veterans' Employment and Training Service Wage and Hour Division Women's Bureau