Labor Statistics Bureau

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was originally established under the Department of the Interior as the Bureau of Labor under the Bureau of Labor Act (23 Stat. 60) of June 27, 1884. After several reorganizations and transfers, the agency was renamed the Bureau of Labor Statistics and transferred to the Department of Labor in 1913. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that 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. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor. 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, and impartiality in both subject matter and presentation.