Dataset · Labor
BLS LAUS history
Available bls-laus-history
Trend measures from the LAUS annual history: labor-force and resident-employment growth, the unemployment rise in the Great Recession and in 2020, and the ten-year average and volatility of the unemployment rate.
- Publisher
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Category
- Labor
- Period
- Annual averages 1990-2025, not seasonally adjusted
- Refresh cadence
- Annual (release expected in April)
- Measures
- 7
- Licence
- Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Source
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Publisher | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Product | Local Area Unemployment Statistics, metro annual history |
| Source | https://www.bls.gov/lau/ (opens in a new tab) |
| Category | Labor |
| Period | Annual averages 1990-2025, not seasonally adjusted |
| Refresh cadence | Annual (release expected in April) |
| Geographies | Metro and micro area, from BLS's own area series (nothing rolls up). BLS rebuilt the metro history on the 2023 delineations, Connecticut's planning-region metros included, so an area is comparable across the window. |
| Availability | Available |
| Cadastre key | bls-laus-history |
Licence and attribution
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Licence | Public domain (U.S. federal government work) |
| Terms | https://www.bls.gov/bls/linksite.htm (opens in a new tab) |
| Register status | Production approved; licence open |
| Allowed uses | evaluation, internal, public_display, derived_analytics, redistribution, bulk_export, public_geometry, api |
This source requires no credit line beyond naming the publisher. Cite it as U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, metro annual history.
Measures
The key is the measure's identifier in Cadastre. A measure stored for the metro itself is read as stored; Rule from counties is how a metro is assembled from its counties where it is not (see Methodology).
| Key | Label | Unit | Rule from counties |
|---|---|---|---|
labor_force_growth_10yr | Labor force growth, 2015-2025 (%) | percent change in the labor force, 2015 to 2025 (annual averages, not seasonally adjusted) | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
labor_force_growth_since_2019 | Labor force growth, 2019-2025 (%) | percent change in the labor force, 2019 to 2025 (annual averages, not seasonally adjusted) | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
employment_growth_10yr | Resident employment growth, 2015-2025 (%) | percent change in employed residents, 2015 to 2025 (annual averages, not seasonally adjusted; counts where workers live, not where they work) | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
unemployment_rise_great_recession | Unemployment rise in the Great Recession, 2007 to 2008-2010 peak (points) | percentage points: the highest of the 2008, 2009 and 2010 unemployment rates minus 2007's (annual averages, not seasonally adjusted) | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
unemployment_rise_2020 | Unemployment rise in 2020, from 2019 (points) | percentage points: the 2020 unemployment rate minus 2019's (annual averages, not seasonally adjusted) | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
unemployment_rate_avg_10yr | Average unemployment rate, 2016-2025 (%) | percent of labor force, mean of the 10 annual averages 2016-2025 (not seasonally adjusted) | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
unemployment_rate_volatility_10yr | Unemployment rate volatility, 2016-2025 (points) | percentage points: standard deviation of the 10 annual unemployment rates 2016-2025, 2020 included | Not assembled from counties: a metro has a value only where one is stored for the metro itself |
Known gaps and caveats
- One number per area and measure is stored; each label names its window, so a value is never read as more recent than it is.
- Counties are not imported.
- Volatility includes 2020, so it dominates the figure.