Bureau of Labor Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Postal Square Building in Washington, D.C., the headquarters of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Agency overview
Formed	June 27, 1884; 139 years ago (1884-06-27)
Jurisdiction	Federal government of the United States
Headquarters	Postal Square Building Washington, D.C., U.S.
Employees	2,100[1]
Annual budget	$655 million (2021)[2]
Agency executives	Erika McEntarfer, Commissioner[3] William J. Wiatrowski, Deputy Commissioner[3]
Website	www.bls.gov

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics and serves as a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System. The BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor representatives. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the United States Department of Labor, and conducts research measuring the income levels families need to maintain a satisfactory quality of life.^[4]

BLS data must satisfy a number of criteria, including relevance to current social and economic issues, timeliness in reflecting today's rapidly changing economic conditions, accuracy and consistently high statistical quality, impartiality in both subject matter and presentation, and accessibility to all. To avoid the appearance of partiality, the dates of major data releases are scheduled more than a year in advance, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget.^[5]