Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS)

Concepts

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sets the official definitions used for all labor force data across the country. These definitions are used consistently at the national, state, and local levels.

Place and time. The data is based on where people live—not where they work or apply for unemployment benefits. Each month’s data reflects the calendar week that includes the 12th day of the month.

Civilian noninstitutional population. This includes everyone age 16 and older who is not in the military or in institutions like prisons or nursing homes. It’s also called the “working-age population.”

Civilian labor force. This is the sum of employment and unemployment. This includes people 16 and older who are either working or actively looking for work. It does not include military members, full-time students, homemakers, retirees, or volunteers.

Labor force participation rate. This is the percentage of the working-age population that is either working or looking for work.

Employment includes anyone who worked during the reference week—either full-time or part-time—in any type of job, including unpaid family work. Individuals temporarily absent from work (due to illness, vacation, etc.) are still counted as employed. People with multiple jobs are counted only once.

Unemployment refers to individuals who did not work during the reference week, were available to work (except for temporary illness), and had actively looked for a job in the prior four weeks. People on temporary layoff who are waiting to be recalled are also counted as unemployed, even if they were not actively looking for a job.

Unemployment rate. This is the percentage of the labor force that is unemployed.

Seasonal adjustment is a statistical method used to remove the effects of predictable seasonal patterns—such as weather, holidays, and school schedules—from economic data. This helps reveal underlying trends and makes it easier to compare data month-to-month and over time.

Methodology

National estimates. The BLS creates national labor force estimates each month using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which surveys about 60,000 households. Conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and BLS.

Additional information on the CPS may be found on the Current Population Survey home page.

Statewide and local estimates. Each state, in cooperation with the BLS, prepares state and local estimates using time-series regression models. In Ohio, these estimates are produced by the Bureau of Labor Market Information within the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

The models incorporate unpublished monthly CPS data, along with current wage and salary employment figures and unemployment insurance claims data.

More information on how the unemployment rate is calculated can be found here.