# 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.

## Source

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publisher | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Product | Local Area Unemployment Statistics, metro annual history |
| Source | [https://www.bls.gov/lau/](https://www.bls.gov/lau/) |
| 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](https://www.bls.gov/bls/linksite.htm) |
| 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](https://getcadastre.com/docs/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.

## See also

- [All datasets](https://getcadastre.com/docs/datasets)
- [Rights and attribution](https://getcadastre.com/docs/rights)
- [Data freshness](https://getcadastre.com/docs/freshness)