Current Population Survey

The Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly household survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides a comprehensive body of information on the employment and unemployment experience of the nation's population, classified by age, sex, race, and a variety of other characteristics.

Approximately 60,000 occupied households are sampled nationally. One person generally responds for all eligible members of the household. Individuals 15 years of age or older are surveyed but published labor force data only includes those 16 and over. The coverage for the survey is the civilian noninstitutional population which means individuals in the Armed Forces or institutions, such as prisons and nursing homes, are excluded from the CPS. Although the number of housing units in the sample has varied over the years, approximately 3,100 New York housing units are included in the survey each month; not all households in the sample answer all survey questions.

Data are collected monthly, using a calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) which includes the 12th day of the month. Data provided in this report are an annual average. BLS recommends that New York not release monthly CPS data because of the data's lack of reliability. For estimates for substate areas BLS recommends using the American Community Survey (ACS). More information can be found here. Notes on Using Current Population Survey (CPS) Subnational Data : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov).

The dashboard below can be used to explore the data in multiple ways:

• Year Lookup - Allows you to retrieve any individual year back to 2010.
• Demographic Lookup - Allows you to retrieve data for different demographics including age, race, Asian detailed race, citizenship, education, gender, and veteran status.
• Description Lookup - Allows you to select specific groups within the selected demographic.

Reset Button - Allows you to clear filters and brings back you to the default setting of the dashboard.

If you are having trouble accessing the data provided below because you are using assistive technology, please reach out to the State Data Center for assistance. [email protected].

These data are based on the Current Population Survey (CPS) Public Use Microdata files and may differ slightly from published Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates of CPS data. There are two sources of differences in the estimates: the public use files have confidentiality protections added and the public use files are not revised with new population controls. Population controls are independent estimates of population used to weight the survey; CPS uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) to do this. In addition, these tables contain estimates not available on the BLS site and are unofficial estimates.

It is important to note that CPS data also differ from labor force estimates generated by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program, which are based on a statistical model that uses CPS labor force data as an input.

Data are not released for estimates of less than 5,000 individuals or rate estimates with a base of less than 35,000. Suppressed estimates will be blank and may result in a break in the series.

For further information on the LAUS program, see Local Area Unemployment Statistics Overview : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov).