An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Objective and nonpartisan

BLS is committed to providing objective, nonpartisan data for public and private decision making. We work for the American public, and the thousands of measures we publish are free and available to the public.

Nonpartisan

All BLS data are collected, analyzed, and reported by career professionals—nonpolitical staff dedicated to rigorous scientific and statistical standards. BLS has one political appointee, the BLS Commissioner, who is nominated for a 4-year, fixed-term appointment. All data and analysis are assembled by career staff; the BLS Commissioner sees them after they are final.

BLS does not advocate for any policy positions or political outcomes. Our mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision making. All information released is reviewed for statistical quality and neutrality. We publish the schedule for our news releases well in advance. In short, BLS provides facts—not opinions—and remains a trusted source of credible labor market and economic data for researchers, businesses, policymakers, and the public. We value independence from partisan interests. When you ask a question, you will get access to experts. Regardless of who you are, you have free equal access to our data and experts.

Laws that protect our data

BLS abides by laws that permit the collection of information about individuals, households, and establishments to calculate measures of inflation, employment, compensation, productivity, and more. These laws require all BLS personnel to protect the privacy and confidentiality of survey participants and their responses and ensure the collected information is used solely for statistical purposes. Only by combining information from hundreds of thousands of respondents can BLS accurately measure U.S. labor market and economic conditions. Accurate economic measures help people and businesses make knowledgeable decisions.

Several laws govern how BLS protects your privacy:

The Privacy Act of 1974. The Privacy Act prohibits federal agencies from disclosing information about an individual without the individual’s written consent. The law also requires agencies to hold all personally identifying information in confidence. This includes names, addresses, and social security numbers.
The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA). This law requires BLS and other agencies that collect information under a pledge of confidentiality to use the information for statistical purposes only. The law defines a statistical purpose as the description, estimation, or analysis of the characteristics of groups, without identifying the individuals or organizations in those groups. This means we can’t share the information with other agencies for them to use for “any administrative, regulatory, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or other purpose.” It also means we must protect the information businesses provide so other businesses cannot gain a competitive advantage. CIPSEA has severe penalties for violating the law. Any BLS employee or agent who knowingly and willfully discloses identifiable respondent information to someone not authorized to have it can receive up to 5 years in prison, fines up to $250,000, or both.

Further, BLS adheres to established scientific integrity principles, data integrity guidelines, and Statistical Policy Directive No. 1 to do its part in safeguarding the public’s trust in the integrity of the federal statistical system.

Last modified date: August 28, 2026