Survey Reference Week
Survey Reference Week - 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...
FAQs
A fixed reference period gives respondents and statistical agencies a common temporal anchor. Differences between survey results can therefore be interpreted more consistently because the underlying observations refer to a designated week rather than to individually chosen dates. This supports comparisons of population and labor-market activity across reporting cycles, including analyses of changes in employment and unemployment.
Reported conditions become useful statistics only after agencies apply consistent definitions to responses. Employment, job search, hours, and income observations are classified according to those standards before agencies aggregate them. This process helps distinguish comparable categories across respondents and survey cycles, reducing ambiguity when analysts interpret labor-market estimates or evaluate movements in economic conditions.
The selected week determines which observed conditions contribute to a monthly indicator. Analysts must therefore consider whether changes reflect altered economic conditions during the designated period or differences associated with recurring seasonal patterns. Keeping the reference period consistent makes the indicator more comparable over time, while seasonal interpretation helps place short-term movements in a broader macroeconomic context.
Respondents report conditions observed during the specified week, with the relevant information depending on the survey. Examples include employment status, hours worked, job-search activity, income, or other population and business conditions. Concentrating responses on one period gives agencies a common set of observations to classify and aggregate into official measures.
Agencies first collect observations tied to the designated period, then apply standardized definitions and aggregate the classified responses. The resulting totals and categories support estimates of employment and unemployment as well as related measures of labor-market activity. The reference period is consequently part of the measurement procedure, not merely a date attached to published results.
Initial statistics based on a reference week may later be revised as official estimates are updated. Analysts should distinguish the original release from subsequent versions when evaluating changes in employment, unemployment, or other economic conditions. Considering revisions helps prevent conclusions based solely on an early estimate and improves interpretation of trends across monthly indicators and survey cycles.