Current Population Survey
Current Population Survey - Related Videos
01:15
The Household Survey I
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2025
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the Household Survey for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is also called the Current Population Survey (CPS). This survey provides key data on employment, unemployment, and labor force participation.The CPS samples approximately 60,000 households each month. It covers the civilian noninstitutional population aged 16 and older, excluding individuals who are incarcerated or living in long-term care facilities. The data collection process involves Census Bureau...
01:28
The Establishment Survey
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2025
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses two key monthly surveys to track employment in the United States. The first is the household survey, also known as the Current population survey or CPS, which collects information from households. The other is the establishment survey, also known as the Current Employment Statistics Survey or CES, where information is collected from business establishments.Most data in the CES is collected through telephone interviews or online reporting by...
01:23
The Household Survey II
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2025
The Household Survey or the Current Population Survey (CPS) is an important survey conducted monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It provides essential data such as employment status, and workforce participation, in the United States. The CPS classifies individuals into three broad categories: employed, unemployed, and not in the labor force. These classifications are fundamental for calculating labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate.The...
01:17
Current Assets
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2024
Current assets are those assets a company expects to use, sell, or convert to cash within one year through normal business operations. They are essential for maintaining liquidity and ensuring smooth business operations. Inventory, a critical component of current assets, varies depending on the type of business. For instance, a retail company like Walmart has an inventory consisting of a wide range of products, from groceries to electronics. In contrast, a construction company like Caterpillar...
01:24
Non-current Liabilities
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2024
Non-current liabilities are long-term debts that a company owes but isn't expected to pay within the next 12 months. They are also known as long-term liabilities. Non-current liabilities are crucial for evaluating a company's long-term economic health and ability to manage debt responsibly. They include long-term borrowings, lease obligations, debentures, and bonds payable. For example, Delta Corporation, which operates a shipping business, might use bank loans to finance the purchase of large...
FAQs
The rotating design balances continuity with renewal. Households are interviewed for four consecutive months, leave the sample for eight months, and then return for four additional months. This schedule gives the CPS a repeated structure for examining monthly labor-market conditions while periodically refreshing the participating households. In macroeconomics, that supports analysis of changing employment and unemployment patterns over time.
Because the CPS uses a nationally representative household sample, its results are intended to describe employment and unemployment conditions across the United States rather than only the interviewed households. That sampling framework makes the estimates useful for examining broad labor-market movements, while the household basis also permits labor outcomes to be considered alongside selected demographic characteristics.
These measures provide related views of labor-market conditions. Employment indicates work activity, unemployment identifies people without employment within the survey’s labor-market measures, and labor force participation places those outcomes in the context of participation. Examining the indicators together helps economists assess employment trends and interpret broader changes in economic conditions rather than relying on a single measure.
The survey is conducted monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Participating households follow the CPS interview pattern of four consecutive months in the sample, an eight-month absence, and four additional months of interviews. This recurring schedule organizes data collection consistently and produces ongoing estimates for monitoring labor-market conditions.
CPS estimates are especially useful when economists examine how labor-market conditions change across business-cycle periods. Monthly information on employment, unemployment, and labor force participation can be considered alongside longer-term employment trends. These measures help reveal whether labor conditions are changing as part of broader economic developments, making the survey relevant to macroeconomic assessment and interpretation.
The CPS supports research on employment trends, labor-market conditions, income, and public policy. Its selected demographic characteristics allow analysts to examine how labor outcomes vary across population groups, while its broader labor data provide context for macroeconomic research. As a result, the survey can inform both economy-wide analysis and studies of demographic patterns in employment and unemployment.