Get the Latest Labor-Related Economic Statistics

The latest national unemployment rate is typically a hot topic of discussion in the news media—so you’ve probably heard the latest statistic for June, 2009 of 9.5% unemployment. But you likely haven’t heard much more than that about US labor statistics.

If you’re interested in finding out about current and historical US employment and unemployment rates, or finding detailed labor information about your industry or your local or regional area, go to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics website.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is funded by the US Government (yes—that’s your tax dollars!) with a mission of collecting, analyzing and reporting on national labor and economic statistics. Its celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and has data going back to 1913. The website provides a wealth of information on such topics as, inflation and prices, consumer spending, wages, hours, productivity, and workplace injuries to name just a few.

Along with statistical reports, you will find handy calculators and database filtering tools that will help you filter the massive amount of information available into a report that answers a specific question you may have.

The site is so large, its hard to know where to begin. A good suggestion is to start at the Spotlight on Statistics page, created in honor of the 125th anniversary.

To learn how to use the many tools available on the site, try the Tutorials section. Also, don’t miss the US Economy at a glance screen, and the fun inflation calculator which you can use to see how much inflation has affected buying power. (Did you know that $1000 in 1913 had the same buying power as $21,787.17 today?)