The Census Bureau's labor force statistics provide information about employment status, employment dynamics, and work experience (usual hours worked, and the number of weeks worked in the last year).

The Census Bureau’s labor force Statistics measure the nation's workforce. The Decennial Census began collecting labor force data in 1880, which allows us to see how our workforce has changed over time.

Since 2000, the Census Bureau has collected labor force data through the American Community Survey (ACS). This allows us to measure yearly changes in employment and unemployment rates at the national, state, and often county and city levels. We can also look at these statistics by age, race, gender, and household composition, among other demographic factors. This helps us identify policy impacts and which groups are likely to be affected by policy changes.

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) also produces labor force statistics. SIPP surveys fewer respondents but provides information about their weekly employment status for a period of 2-5 years. This paints a more complete picture of households over time. Labor force statistics in the SIPP can offer insight into how long individuals remain unemployed, how long workers remain with their employers, why jobs or self-employed businesses end, and what happens when people transition from one employer or employment status to another.

This might be the more logical choice due to the number of respondents and that this is the largest survey the Census Bureau conducts annually. ACS provides single-year labor force estimates for geographic areas with a population of 65,000 or more. For areas with a population less than 20,000, 5-year estimates are available.

The CPS is the official source of unemployment and other statistics. It is a great source of information in producing the official monthly estimates of employment, unemployment, and the unemployment rate for the nation and states. It is also a source of information on other labor force topics such as actual hours of work and duration of unemployment.

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) is a survey that looks at the same dynamics of individuals over time. It is useful in studying how labor force participation and employment relate to social program participation. It makes for a great source in examining trends and changes in employment (including spells of unemployment).

There are multiple tools available. For access to the list go to Data Tools and Apps. For additional information on the topic or surveys, go to Census Survey Explorer. To access labor force data, go to data.census.gov.