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National Longitudinal Surveys
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Request Restricted NLS Data
Application Process for:
- National Longitudinal Survey 79 State, County, and MSA Geocode (Restricted NLSY79),
- National Longitudinal Survey 79 Young Adult State, County, and MSA Geocode (Restricted NLSY79 YA), and
- National Longitudinal Survey 97 State, County, and MSA Geocode (Restricted NLSY97)
[Important: National Longitudinal Survey 79 Census tract and zip code, National Longitudinal Survey 97 Census tract and zip code, and National Longitudinal Survey 97 School Surveys are available through a different restricted data sharing program. See link: What Datasets are Available? : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov).]
How to Apply:
Applicants for Restricted NLSY79, Restricted NLSY79 YA, and Restricted NLSY97 data must first complete the Standard Application Process (SAP) through the online portal at ResearchDataGov (RDG). RDG is a portal for requesting access to restricted microdata from federal statistical agencies.
After your standard application has been approved by BLS, you will complete the BLS VDE Confidential Data Access Information Form detailing the signing official information for your institution, your software requirements, and other specifics of your proposed security set-up. This form is sent to you only after your standard application has been approved by BLS.
After SAP approval and receipt of the BLS VDE Confidential Data Access Information Form, BLS drafts and signs a Letter of Agreement (LOA) between us and the recipient institution. The recipient institution signs and returns the LOA to BLS. Authorized users are then provided access to the restricted data through a virtual data enclave (VDE). The VDE is a managed environment where researchers can analyze the restricted National Longitudinal Survey State, County, and MSA Geocode data. Output from such analysis, as well as input files that researchers may wish to import, will be subject to BLS approval before being moved to or from the VDE. Statistical software available for use in the VDE includes Stata, R, Rstudio, Stat/Transfer, and Python (Spyder, Jupyter Notebook).
All Letters of Agreement are between the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the recipient institution and not between BLS and individual researchers and all restricted data access must take place from BLS approved locations on the physical premises of the recipient institution. Researchers may not work offsite.
Additionally, National Longitudinal Survey State, County, and MSA Geocode data is accessed only via the BLS VDE and may not be transferred to recipient institution, i.e. university, systems.
The steps to obtaining National Longitudinal Survey State, County, and MSA Geocode data access are summarized below:
1. Complete the Standard Application Process (SAP).
2. If the SAP is approved, BLS sends and you complete and return the BLS VDE Confidential Data Access Information Form. [This form takes about 20-30 minutes to complete. We ask that it be returned to BLS within 10 days.]
3. BLS drafts and signs the Letter of Agreement (LOA) between us and the recipient institution. [This step takes two to five weeks to complete.]
4. The recipient institution signs and returns the LOA to BLS. [The recipient institution has 30 days to sign and return the LOA documents.]
5. BLS contract staff set up your accounts/project space in the VDE. [This step takes one to two weeks to complete.]
NLS staff will contact you as each step in the application process is completed.
Please review information about agreements outside the United States.
Last Modified Date: May 20, 2025