Technical Note
The estimates in this news release are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which
provides information on the labor force status, demographics, and other characteristics of the
nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The survey is conducted monthly
for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically selected
national sample of about 60,000 eligible households.
Questions were added to the CPS in June 2008 to identify people with a disability in the civilian
noninstitutional population age 16 and over. The addition of these questions allowed the BLS to
begin releasing monthly labor force data from the CPS for people with a disability. The collection
of these data is sponsored by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access
telecommunications relay services.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample,
rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may
differ from the true population values they represent. The component of this difference that
occurs because samples differ by chance is known as sampling error, and its variability is
measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of
confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors
from the true population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted
at the 90-percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many
reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to
provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
Additional information about the reliability of data from the CPS and estimating standard errors
is available at www.bls.gov/cps/methods/reliability-of-CPS-estimates.htm.
CPS estimates are controlled to population totals that are available by age, sex, race, and
Hispanic ethnicity. These controls are developed by the Census Bureau and are based on complete
population counts obtained in the decennial census. In the years between decennial censuses, they
incorporate the latest information about population change (births, deaths, and net international
migration). As part of its annual update of population estimates, the Census Bureau introduces
adjustments to the total population controls. The updated controls typically have a negligible
impact on unemployment rates and other ratios. The estimates of the population of people with a
disability are not controlled to independent population totals of people with a disability because
such data are not available. Without independent population totals, sample-based estimates are
more apt to vary from one time period to the next. Information about population controls is
available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.
Disability questions and concepts
The CPS uses a set of six questions to identify people with disabilities. In the CPS, people are
classified as having a disability if there is a response of "yes" to any of these questions. The
disability questions appear in the CPS in the following format:
This month we want to learn about people who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that
cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer for household members who
are 15 years and over.
--Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing?
--Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?
--Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty
concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?
--Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
--Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing?
--Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty doing
errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping?
The CPS questions for identifying individuals with disabilities are only asked of household
members who are age 15 and over. Each of the questions ask the respondent whether anyone in the
household has the condition described, and if the respondent replies "yes," they are then asked
to identify everyone in the household who has the condition. Labor force measures from the CPS
are tabulated for people age 16 and over. More information on the disability questions and the
limitations of the CPS disability data is available on the BLS website at
www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability_faq.htm.
Other definitions
Other definitions used in this release are described briefly below. Additional information on the
concepts and methodology of the CPS is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.
Employed. Employed people are all those who, during the survey reference week, (a) did any work at
all as paid employees; (b) worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm; or
(c) worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers in a family member's business. People who were
temporarily absent from their jobs because of illness, bad weather, vacation, labor dispute, or
another reason also are counted as employed.
Unemployed. Unemployed people are those who had no employment during the reference week, were
available for work at that time, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during
the 4- week period ending with the reference week. People who were waiting to be recalled to a job
from which they had been laid off need not have been looking for work to be classified as
unemployed.
Civilian labor force. The civilian labor force comprises all people classified as employed or
unemployed.
Unemployment rate. The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percent of the labor force.
Not in the labor force. People not in the labor force include all those who are not classified as
employed or unemployed. Information is collected on their desire for and availability to take a
job at the time of the CPS interview, job search activity in the prior year, and reason for not
looking in the 4-week period ending with the reference week. This group includes individuals
marginally attached to the labor force, defined as people not in the labor force who want and are
available for a job and who have looked for work sometime in the past 12 months (or since the end
of their last job if they held one within the past 12 months). They are not counted as unemployed
because they had not actively searched for work in the prior 4 weeks. Within the marginally
attached group are discouraged workers—people who are not currently looking for work because they
believe there are no jobs available or there are none for which they would qualify. The other
people marginally attached to the labor force group includes people who want a job but had not
looked for work in the past 4 weeks for reasons such as family responsibilities or transportation
problems.
Part time for economic reasons. People classified as at work part time for economic reasons, a
measure sometimes referred to as involuntary part time, are those who gave an economic reason for
working 1 to 34 hours during the reference week. Economic reasons include slack work or
unfavorable business conditions, inability to find full-time work, and seasonal declines in
demand. Those who usually work part time must also indicate that they want and are available for
full-time work to be classified as part time for economic reasons.
Occupation, industry, and class of worker. The occupation, industry, and class of worker
classifications for the employed relate to the job held in the survey reference week. People with
two or more jobs are classified in the job at which they worked the greatest number of hours.
People are classified using the 2018 Census occupational and 2022 Census industry classification
systems. The class-of-worker breakdown assigns workers to the following categories: private and
government wage and salary workers, self-employed workers, and unpaid family workers. Wage and
salary workers receive wages, salary, commissions, tips, or pay in kind from a private employer or
from a government unit. Self-employed people are those who work for profit or fees in their own
business, profession, trade, or farm. Only the unincorporated self-employed are included in the
self-employed category. Self-employed people who respond that their businesses are incorporated
are included among wage and salary workers. Unpaid family workers are people working without pay
for 15 hours a week or more on a farm or in a business operated by a family member in their
household.
United States Department of Labor
