LAUS Program Description

The LAUS program measures employment, unemployment, the labor force and the unemployment rate. Estimates are produced for the states, Metropolitan Statistical Areas, counties, and cities with population over 25,000. Arizona also provides unofficial estimates for smaller cities. The program only considers people who are actively looking for work as unemployed. Self-employed people are included in the employment estimates.

The principal source of information for the LAUS program is the Current Population Survey, also known as the household survey. However, the employment estimates are not direct survey estimates, but are produced by a model that also considers information about unemployment insurance claims and estimated current employment. Estimates are released monthly. Revisions are made the following month and a benchmark revision is made at the end of each year.