The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is one of the most comprehensive measures of labor-market activity available, covering more than 95 percent of wage-and-salary employment through Unemployment Insurance records. Produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quarterly census of employment and wages provides establishment counts, monthly employment figures, and total wages by detailed NAICS industry classification for states, counties, metropolitan areas, and ZIP codes. These administrative data offer unmatched precision for mapping local industry structures, wage trends, and employment dynamics at virtually every geographic level.
What Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Data Covers
QCEW data are published quarterly and organized by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), enabling users to analyze employment and wage patterns at fine levels of industry detail — from broad super-sectors like healthcare and manufacturing down to specific subsectors and industry groups. Because the quarterly census of employment and wages draws directly from Unemployment Insurance records rather than surveys, it provides near-complete coverage of the employer landscape, making it especially valuable for local and regional economic analysis. Data are available for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, with county- and ZIP-level detail that supports granular, place-based research.
Why Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages Data Matters
QCEW data serve as a cornerstone for market intelligence, economic analysis, and regional benchmarking. On an integrated data platform, the quarterly census of employment and wages can be visualized alongside demographic, housing, and income datasets to evaluate workforce concentration, wage growth, and business composition by sector. Site selectors use it to assess local labor supply and industry mix. Economic developers rely on it to identify growth sectors and monitor employer activity over time. Workforce planners and researchers use QCEW to track wage pressures, benchmark regional performance, and build long-range employment forecasts. Because the dataset is standardized, historically consistent, and grounded in administrative records rather than estimates, it is widely regarded as one of the most reliable sources for studying local and national economic performance.
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