The Current Population Survey (CPS) is the nation’s primary household survey for labor-force and demographic data. Conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPS provides detailed information on employment, unemployment, hours worked, earnings, education, age, race, and family structure. The dataset forms the foundation of the U.S. unemployment rate and is indispensable for understanding workforce participation and inequality.
CPS supports market-intelligence, demographic, and equity analyses. On a unified data platform, CPS connects person-level socioeconomic indicators with macroeconomic measures, enabling users to explore patterns by population group or geography. Researchers, policymakers, and journalists rely on CPS to analyze inclusion in the labor force, evaluate the effects of economic policy, and track household well-being. Its microdata detail allow granular modeling of employment outcomes, making it essential for evidence-based workforce and social-policy research.