U.S. Unemployment Dataset
The MetricMash U.S. Unemployment dataset provides users the very latest government published metrics across the most popular series going back to 1948. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the Current Population Survey (CPS) on the first Friday of every month at 08:30 AM (EST).
Microsoft Azure Marketplace DataMarket Subscription Link
https://datamarket.azure.com/dataset/662d2b6a-119d-447e-a2b9-84d7a7f83590
Output Structure
MetricMash provides the following resources that you can query using a URI:
- UnemploymentRates
- UnemployedRatios
- EmployedRatios
- ParticipationRates
All resources have the same output attributes outlined in the following table:
| Attribute Name | Data Type | Example | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RowKey | DT_I4 | 91236 | This is a unique row number across all resources. This value may change for each row after monthly refreshes of the dataset. | |
| DateKey (PK) | DT_I4 | 201102 | This is a normalized date integer representing the finest grain of the data in the format YYYYMM. Each row in the current dataset represents a monthly observation. This forms the Primary Key along with SeriesID. | |
| DateValue | DT_DBTIMESTAMP | 2011-02-01 00:00:00.000 | This is the date value with the day confined to the first day of the month since the row represents a monthly instance. | |
| YearYYYY | DT_WSTR | 2011 | Four digit year represented as a string. | |
| MonthMMM | DT_WSTR | Feb | Three letter month abbreviations represented as a string. | |
| MonthMM | DT_WSTR | 02 | Two digit month value represented as a string. | |
| SeriesID (PK) | DT_WSTR | LNS14000000 | The BLS Series identifier. This forms the Primary Key along with DateKey. | |
| SeriesInfo | DT_WSTR | Seasonal | Additional information about the observed data point. | |
| SeriesName | DT_WSTR | US Unemployment Rate | This is the BLS Series title. Some instances have the original title shortened or simplified for clarity. | |
| Value | DT_DECIMAL | 8.900 | The quantifiable value representing the observation. | |
| IsLatestFlag | DT_BOOL | TRUE | Indicator signifying the current data point is the latest instance in the observed series. | |
| IsRecessionFlag | DT_BOOL | FALSE | Indicator signifying the current data point occurred during a U.S. recession. | |
Recommended Uses*
- Economic indicators.
- Most comprehensive measure of national employment and unemployment.
- Primary source of data on employment status and characteristics of the labor force, emerging trends, and changes.
- Measure of potential labor supply.
- Determining factors affecting changes in labor force participation of different population groups.
*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Resources
Current Population Survey FAQ from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - http://bls.gov/cps/faq.htm
Seasonal vs Non-Seasonal definition - http://bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#sa
Frequently Asked Questions
How long after the BLS publication is the MetricMash dataset refreshed?
A: We typically publish within 12 hours of the official BLS release.