About the Monthly Labor Force Estimates (LAUS)
Under a Federal-State cooperative program between the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and each state, the BLS develops the concepts, definitions, and technical procedures used in the preparation of local area unemployment statistics (LAUS). According to BLS, monthly labor force estimates are prepared by state agencies across the nation for 6,700 geographic areas. These estimates incorporate results from the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Census Bureau, but also include information from the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program (those who are currently collecting UI benefits and those who have exhausted their benefits) for the state estimates.
Geographic Coverage
Not Seasonally Adjusted- United States, states, counties
- Indiana only: metro areas, regions and custom regions
- United States and states
Frequency
- Monthly
- Annual averages (not seasonally adjusted only)
Time Span
Not Seasonally Adjusted- 1976 - forward
- 1989 - forward
Note: the full time series is only available in the Time Series View
What is seasonal adjustment? [BLS]
Revisions
Each month a preliminary figure for the most current month is released, but it is important to note that the previous month is also revised and re-released. For example, if preliminary April figures were released today, the final (revised) March data would also be released. So-called "benchmark" corrections also occur each year, when sub-state estimates are revised to incorporate any changes in the inputs, such as revisions in claims data. These revised sub-state estimates are then re-adjusted to sum to the revised (benchmarked) state estimates of employment and unemployment.
Variables
Labor force, employed, unemployed, unemployment rate
Dataset Characteristics
Residenced-based, key economic indicator
Data Sources
Indiana Department of Workforce Development (IDWD): Indiana counties & MSAs. Bureau of Labor Statistics: national data.