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Local Area Unemployment Statistics
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Frequently Asked Questions: Region and Division Labor Force Data
- What are the Census regions and divisions?
- How are the labor force estimates for census regions and divisions calculated?
- How are the estimates seasonally adjusted?
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the Census regions and divisions?
- The United States is broken down into four regions, which are further divided into 9 divisions. Regions, divisions, and the States they comprise (including the District of Columbia) are as follows:
| REGION | DIVISION | STATES |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | New England | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Middle Atlantic | New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania | |
| South | South Atlantic | Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia |
| East South Central | Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee | |
| West South Central | Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas | |
| Midwest | East North Central | Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin |
| West North Central | Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota | |
| West | Mountain | Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming |
| Pacific | Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington |
- How are the labor force estimates for census regions and divisions calculated?
- Under real-time benchmarking, a tiered approach to estimation is used. Model-based estimates (using a univariate form) are developed for the nine Census divisions that geographically exhaust the nation. These estimates are controlled to the national levels of employment and unemployment. State model-based estimates are then made and controlled to the Census division estimates. In this manner, the monthly State employment and unemployment estimates will add to the national levels. The Regional estimates are simply the sum of their respective component divisions.
- How are the estimates seasonally adjusted?
- Seasonal adjustment occurs within the model structure, with the removal of the seasonal component.
Last Modified Date: March 10, 2005