US Bureau of Economic Analysis Homepage

The BEA provides GDP and economic accounts data. There is employment data in the National Income and Product Accounts Tables, but only at the national level.

Regional Accounts Data contains detailed employment data at the state, county, MSA, and Economic Area levels. Much of the data can be obtained by industry.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Homepage

The BLS has an almost bewildering array of data categories on its homepage. A good place to sort things out is on the Programs & Surveys description page.

Employment and unemployment data can be found as part of the Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey,
Nonfarm Payroll Statistics from the Current Employment Statistics (National),
Nonfarm Payroll Statistics from the Current Employment Statistics (State&Area),
Covered Employment and Wages,
Occupational Employment Statistics,
Local Area Unemployment Statistics,
Mass Layoff Statistics,
National Longitudinal Surveys,
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS),
American Time Use Survey (ATUS),
Survey of Employer-Provided Training,
Foreign Labor Statistics,
Employment Projections

U.S. Census Bureau Homepage

The Census Bureau has some employment data, mostly on government employment. But, you'll also find links to data from the Census, American Community Survey, Current Population Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation. These all have some employment and unemployment data.

Federal, state, and local government employment and payroll data can be found at this link.

Economic Census This is the most complete statistical accounting of US business. Questionnaires request basic information about each business establishment, including kind of activity, location, form of ownership, dollar volume of business, number of employees, and dollar amount of payroll. Additionally, there are some industry-specific questions.

US Census 2000 The homepage for the latest Census. From here you can get to tables of all the census data available organized according to various geographic and racial/ethnic categories. The pdf pamphlet Introduction to Census 2000 Data Products is a good overview of what data is available.

American Factfinder A menu based system that creates tables derived from data found in the Census, American Community Survey, Economic Censuses, and Population Estimates Program. Great for most data.

American Community Survey A relatively new survey designed to provide the data communities need every year instead of once in ten years. It is an on-going survey that the Census Bureau plans will replace the long form in the 2010 Census. Full implementation of the survey is planned in every county of the United States, pending Congressional funding. The survey will provide estimates of demographic, housing, social, and economic characteristics every year for all states, as well as for all cities, counties, metropolitan areas, and population groups of 65,000 people or more. For smaller areas, it will take three to five years to accumulate sufficient sample to produce data for areas as small as census tracts.

Survey of Income and Program Participation The main objective of SIPP is to provide accurate and comprehensive information about the income and transfer program participation of individuals and households, and about the principal determinants of income and transfer program participation. Most of the data is economic, but there is some demographic data included on participants.

Current Population Survey A monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPS is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population. Estimates obtained from the CPS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of work, and other indicators. They are available by a variety of demographic characteristics including age, sex, race, marital status, and educational attainment. They are also available by occupation, industry, and class of worker. Supplemental questions to produce estimates on a variety of topics including school enrollment, income, previous work experience, health, employee benefits, and work schedules are also often added to the regular CPS questionnaire. Can also be reached through http://stats.bls.gov/cps

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