Current Employment Statistics Preliminary Benchmark (State and Area) Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, September 9, 2025 		                       USDL-25-1354

Technical information:  (202) 691-6559  *  sminfo@bls.gov    *  www.bls.gov/sae 
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


                   CURRENT EMPLOYMENT STATISTICS PRELIMINARY BENCHMARK
                             (STATE AND AREA) -- MARCH 2025


The average absolute preliminary benchmark revision across all states and the District of
Columbia was 0.7 percent for March 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported
today. In accordance with usual practice, final benchmark data for all CES state and
metropolitan area series are scheduled to be released in March 2026 with the publication of
the January 2026 State Employment and Unemployment news release.

Each year, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates are benchmarked to
comprehensive counts of employment from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).
These counts are derived primarily from state unemployment insurance (UI) tax records that
nearly all employers are required to file with state workforce agencies. The final benchmark
will reflect revisions to all not seasonally adjusted data from April 2024 to December 2025,
all seasonally adjusted data from January 2021 to December 2025, and select series subject to
historical revisions before April 2024.

Summary of revisions at the state level

The average absolute preliminary benchmark revision across all states and the District of
Columbia was 0.7 percent for March 2025. Compared with sample-based estimates, preliminary
benchmark levels were lower in 38 states and the District for March 2025 and higher in 12
states. For all states and the District, the preliminary benchmark revisions to total nonfarm
employment for March 2025 ranged from -1.8 percent in Colorado to +1.1 percent in Arizona and
New York. The average preliminary revision across all states was -0.5 percent. (See table 1.)

Summary of revisions for large metropolitan areas

The average absolute preliminary benchmark revision across the 56 metropolitan areas with a
2020 Census population of 1 million or more was 0.8 percent for March 2025. Compared with
sample-based estimates, preliminary benchmark levels were lower in 36 areas for March 2025 and
higher in 20 areas. Among these large metropolitan areas, the preliminary benchmark revisions
to total nonfarm employment for March 2025 ranged from -2.4 percent in Orlando-Kissimmee-
Sanford, FL, to +4.3 percent in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI. The average preliminary
revision across all large metropolitan areas was -0.2 percent. (See table 2.)

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The final benchmark revisions for states and metropolitan areas for March 2025 will be
released in March 2026 with the January 2026 State Employment and Unemployment news release.