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Office of Survey Methods Research
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Household and establishment survey response rates
Notice
- On September 17, 2025, the household and establishment survey response rates page was updated to correct errors in several charts and tables. In addition, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses response rates presented in chart 2 were updated to better align with the definition described in the survey response rate calculations. If you visited the page before this update, please note that the numbers have changed.
On This Page:
Introduction
This page presents information on BLS establishment and household survey response rates—the percentage of the sample that responds to or participates in a survey. Response rates are usually calculated as:
Response Rate = (# units responding) / ((# units eligible) + (# of units with eligibility undetermined))
Different surveys have different definitions of what is and isn’t eligible. Refer to survey response rate calculations for more detail.
Historically, survey response rates have been used as a measure of how representative a survey is of the sampled population.1 Response rates of surveys don't relate well to nonresponse bias, but the pattern of the response rates may give insights into survey processes. There are many reasons why response rates differ between surveys: the amount of time available to collect data, the mode of data collection, and constraints on who can respond. Changes in patterns that are similar between surveys might indicate a common cause, while rate changes unique to a survey might point to a change in methods.
This report groups similar surveys to allow for comparisons. For example, response rates from surveys collected from business establishments are shown together while those collected from households are shown together. Date ranges will vary from chart to chart depending on the most recent time period for which data are available.
Nonresponse bias links show examples of nonresponse bias studies (where available). Additional nonresponse bias studies may be found on the survey’s webpage, linked in the first column of each table.
Response rates on this webpage are updated quarterly.
Note
1Groves, R.M. & Peytcheva, E. (2008). "The impact of nonresponse rates on nonresponse bias: a meta-analysis." Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(2), 167–189.
Chart 1. Household surveys
Show data
Notes
Consumer Price Index — Housing (CPI-Housing)
In March 2021 the CPI-Housing rate shown in Chart 1 was converted from a collection rate to an estimation rate, for consistency purposes with other surveys.
Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS)
TPOPS was discontinued in late 2019.
| Survey | Sample size | Mandatory or voluntary |
Frequency | Collection methods | Collection period |
Approximate survey length | Nonresponse bias research |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,060 households | Voluntary | Monthly | Phone | 8 weeks | 18 min | ||
| 2,500 households | Voluntary | Monthly | Diary | 2 months | 2 weeks | CE diary information | |
| 3,700 households | Voluntary | Monthly | Personal visit, Phone | 1 month | 65 min | CE interview information | |
| 7,800 housing units | Voluntary | Monthly | Personal visit, Phone | 1 month | 5 min | CPI housing information | |
| 60,000 households | Voluntary | Monthly | Personal visit, Phone | 10 days | 10 min (varies by month) | CPS information | |
| 33,000 households | Voluntary | Quarterly | RDD (Random Digital Dialing), Phone | 7 weeks | 13 min | TPOPS information | |
Chart 2. Establishment surveys: overall unit response rates
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Notes
International Price Program — Exports (IPP-Exports) and International Price Program — Imports (IPP-Imports)
Low unit response rates for June 2024 thru January 2025 are the result of a decrease during this time period in sample initiation rates, which factor into the computation of the unit response rates. See the notes in Chart 3 for further explanation.
Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS)
The first sample in the second wave was collected between September 2018 and July 2019, prior to the pandemic. Response rates in the 2nd and 3rd samples, collected between September 2019 and July 2021, were impacted by the pandemic as personal visits were suspended between March 2020 and December 2021. BLS expanded the sample size from approximately 10,000 targeted establishments to 15,000 for the last two samples in the second wave. While lower establishment response rates were expected, the ORS program expected similar amounts of occupational observations as collected in the first sample necessary to meet publication standards. The enhanced collection approach prioritized cooperating establishments and minimized collection efforts on establishments lacking engagement, refusing cooperation, or providing incomplete data.
To better reflect the responding establishments used to produce the published estimates, BLS included establishment overlaps between samples in the same wave. Previously, sample overlaps were excluded from response rates which understated the 2022 rate by 1.1 percentage points and by 0.2 percentage points in 2018. BLS recalculated response rates going back to the start of the survey using the new approach.
Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)
The rate previously presented was updated to be more aligned with the definition described on this webpage. Previously, the rate considered responses that were usable in estimation, whereas the rate presented here includes all responses per the SOII response rate definition.
| Survey | Sample size | Mandatory or voluntary |
Frequency | Collection methods | Collection period |
Nonresponse bias research |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,300,000 establishments | Mandatory in 31 states | Annual | Web | 11 months | ARS information | |
| 138,000 price quotes | Voluntary | Monthly | Personal visit, Web, Phone | 20-22 business days | NA | |
| 631,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing), EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), Web, Fax, Other | About 2 months | CES information | |
| 14,800 establishments | Voluntary | Quarterly | Personal visit, Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail, Video | 45 days | ECI information | |
| 5,400 price quotes | Voluntary | Annual | Personal visit, Web | 1 year | IPP-Exports information | |
| 9,175 price quotes | Voluntary | Annual | Personal visit, Web | 1 year | IPP-Imports information | |
| 21,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | CATI, Web, E-mail, Fax | About 45 days | JOLTS information | |
| 1,100,000 establishments | Mandatory in about half the states | Annual | Mail, Fax, Phone, Web, E-mail | About 6 months | NA | |
| 10,000–60,000 establishments | Voluntary | Annual | Personal visit, Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail, Video | 1 year | NA | |
| 230,000 establishments | Mandatory | Annual | Mail, Fax, Phone, Web, E-mail | 7 months | SOII information | |
Chart 3. Establishment surveys: initiation
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Notes
Consumer Price Index — Commodities & Services (CPI C&S)
The CPI rate is an unweighted average over the most recent eight semi-annual initiation (collection) periods, whereas the other surveys' rates are calculated based on the most recent initiation (collection) period.
Employment Cost Index (ECI)
The higher than usual ECI initiation rates for September 2015, December 2015, March 2016, and June 2016, are due to higher response rates for the initiation of the state and local government sample, which occurs approximately every 10 years.
In September 2022, no ECI units were initiated.
International Price Program — Exports (IPP-Exports) and International Price Program — Imports (IPP-Imports)
The IPP fields an import sample one year and an export sample the following year. Each sample takes approximately 12–18 months to initiate. The low initiation rates for May 2024, November 2024, and December 2024 were largely due to the impacts of the pandemic and field resource constraints. This resulted in a significant backlog of outstanding establishments for samples being collected during this time period. In order to right-size the field workload, the outstanding establishments from these samples were closed-out as refusals in bulk.
| Survey | Number of initiations attempted annually | Mandatory or voluntary |
Collection methods | Collection period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,500 establishments | Voluntary | Personal visit, Web | February–July and August—January | |
| 70,000 establishments | Voluntary | CATI | 3 months | |
| 4,900 establishments | Voluntary | Personal visit, Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail, Video | 1 year | |
| 950 establishments | Voluntary | Personal visit, Video, Phone, E-mail | 2 years | |
| 1,500 establishments | Voluntary | Personal visit, Video, Phone, E-mail | 2 years | |
| 7,000 establishments | Voluntary | CATI | 3 months | |
| 4,500 establishments | Voluntary | Personal visit, Video, Phone, E-mail | 24–30 months | |
Chart 4. Establishment surveys: Repricing or collection rate at first preliminary release
Show data
Notes
General
These rates only include data received prior to the deadline for the first preliminary release for surveys that have multiple releases prior to the final release. Final release response rates for these surveys and for surveys that have only a single release can be found on chart 2.
| Survey | Sample size | Mandatory or voluntary |
Frequency | Collection methods | Collection period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 631,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | CATI, EDI, Web, Fax, Other | 10–16 business days | |
| 8,650 items | Voluntary | Monthly | Web, E-mail | About 20 days | |
| 13,400 items | Voluntary | Monthly | Web, E-mail | About 20 days | |
| 21,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | CATI, Web, E-mail, Fax | 11–17 business days | |
| 25,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | Web, E-mail | 14–15 business days | |
Chart 5. Establishment surveys: Repricing or collection rate at final release
Show data
| Survey | Sample size | Mandatory or voluntary |
Frequency | Collection methods | Collection period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138,000 price quotes | Voluntary | Monthly | Personal visit, Web, Phone | 20–22 business days | |
| 631,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | CATI, EDI, Web, Fax, Other | About 2 months | |
| 14,800 establishments | Voluntary | Quarterly | Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail, Video | 45 days | |
| 8,650 items | Voluntary | Monthly | Web | 4 months | |
| 13,400 items | Voluntary | Monthly | Web | 4 months | |
| 21,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | CATI, Web, E-mail, Fax | About 45 days | |
| 25,000 establishments | Voluntary | Monthly | Web, E-mail | 14-15 business days | |
More Information
For help on BLS response rates or comments about the web page please contact us.
Last modified date: September 17, 2025