Economist or Economic Analyst

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington publishes a variety of news releases and other publications providing some descriptive analysis of BLS economic data. There are also regional office versions of many of these publications focusing on state, county, or metropolitan areas. To produce thes data featured in these publications, BLS employs many survey and statistical methods developed and refined over the course of years.

Links to a selection of publications related to BLS survey and estimation methods are presented below.

On This Page

   

Methodology

Inflation & Prices

Consumer Price Index

Producer Price Indexes

Import/Export Price Indexes

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 15. International price indexes (HTML) (PDF)

Employment

National Employment (from the Current Employment Statistics Survey)

State and Local Employment (from the Current Employment Statistics Survey)

State and County Employment (Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 5. Employment and wages covered by unemployment insurance (HTML) (PDF)

Employment and Worker Characteristics (from the Current Population Survey)

Employment Projections

Job Openings and Labor Turnover

Employment by Occupation

Longitudinal Studies

Business Employment Dynamics

Unemployment

National Unemployment Rate (from the Current Population Survey)

State and Local Unemployment Rates

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 4. Measurement of unemployment in States and local areas (Being updated)
  • Estimation methodology

Mass Layoff Statistics

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 6. Mass layoff statistics (HTML) (PDF)

Pay & Benefits

Employment Cost Index

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation

National Compensation Survey

County Wages (Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 5. Employment and wages covered by unemployment insurance (HTML) (PDF)

Occupational Wages (Occupational Employment Statistics Survey)

Employee Benefits

Spending & Time Use

Consumer Spending

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 16. Consumer expenditures and income (HTML) (PDF)

Time Use

  • User's Guide (PDF)

Productivity

Labor Productivity

The Major Sector Productivity and Costs program publishes quarterly and annual measures of output per hour and unit labor costs for the United States.

The Industry Productivity and Costs program publishes annual measures of output per hour and unit labor costs for detailed U.S. industries.

  • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 11. Industry productivity measures (HTML) (PDF)
  • Employment and Hours of All Persons for a Comprehensive Set of Industries (HTML) (PDF)

    • Multifactor Productivity

    The Major Sector Productivity and Costs program publishes annual measures of output per unit of combined inputs for major sectors and 18 NAICS 3-digit manufacturing industries for the United States.

    • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 10. Productivity measures: Business sector and major subsectors (HTML) (PDF)
    • Technical Information About the BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures for Major Sectors and 18 NAICS 3-digit Manufacturing Industries (HTML) (PDF)
    • Overview of Capital Inputs for the BLS Multifactor Productivity Measures (HTML) (PDF)
    • Changes in the Composition of Labor (PDF)
    The Industry Productivity and Costs program publishes annual measures of output per unit of combined input for 86 4-digit NAICS manufacturing industries, the air transportation industry, and the line-haul railroad industry.

    • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 11. Industry productivity measures (HTML) (PDF)

    Workplace Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

    • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 9. Occupational safety and health statistics (HTML) (PDF)

    International

    • BLS Handbook of Methods. Chapter 12. International Labor Comparisons (HTML) (PDF)