BLS API - Bureau of Labor Statistics Data

Access Bureau of Labor Statistics data for employment, wages, prices, and productivity. Get unemployment rates, CPI inflation, job openings, wage data by industry and occupation.

Optional key: a free BLS API key raises the daily limits; live mode works without one.

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Before You Start

A BLS API key is optional. Live mode works without one, within the BLS limits for unregistered calls.

Where to get your key: BLS API key (optional, increases rate limits)

This actor runs in Demo Mode by default, so a default free run returns sample data (free, no key needed) to show you the output format. Set demoMode to false to fetch real data.

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Quick Start

Test with Demo Mode (free, no API key needed)

{
  "demoMode": true
}

Run with real data

{
  "demoMode": false,
  "task": "get_series",
  "seriesId": "LNS14000000",
  "startYear": 2024
}

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Input Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Required	Description
task	string	"get_series"	Yes*	The operation to perform
apiKey	string	-	Yes*	BLS API key (optional, increases rate limits)
seriesId	string	-	No	BLS series identifier (e.g., CUUR0000SA0, LNS14000000)
startYear	integer	-	No	Start year for data range
endYear	integer	-	No	End year for data range
industry	string	-	No	NAICS industry code or name
occupation	string	-	No	SOC occupation code or name
area	string	-	No	State, metro area, or region code
limit	integer	100	No	Maximum number of results to return
webhookUrl	string	-	No	URL to receive results via webhook
demoMode	boolean	true	No	Run with sample data (no API key required)

*Required when Demo Mode is off.

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Data sources and limits (updated 2026-10-15)

Data comes from the BLS Public Data API v2. A key is optional: without one, BLS applies its unregistered limits (about 25 queries a day and up to 10 years per query); a free key from data.bls.gov/registrationEngine raises them. Each run returns one row with seriesId, a plain label, and a data array of {year, period, periodName, value}; BLS notes come back in messages.

get_wages and get_injuries have no live BLS source in this actor. They return built-in sample figures labeled isSample: true and are never charged. For live figures, use get_series with an OEWS or IIF series id.

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Pricing

Each successful live call charges one event named after the task you ran (prices are on the Pricing tab), plus the standard Actor start fee. Not charged: Demo Mode runs, calls that fail or return an error row, and calls that return no rows. get_wages and get_injuries return labeled sample figures and are never charged.

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Troubleshooting

"API key is required"

You have Demo Mode turned off but didn't provide an API key. Either:

• Turn Demo Mode on to test with sample data
• Add your API key in the input

"API error 403" or "Unauthorized"

Your API key is invalid, expired, or doesn't have access to this specific API endpoint. Double-check your key and account permissions.

"API error 429" or "Rate limit"

Too many requests. Wait a minute and try again, or reduce the number of items per run.

No results or empty dataset

Check the run log for error messages. Common causes:

• Invalid input format (check the examples above)
• API key without proper permissions
• The target data doesn't exist or is too small to track

How do I test without an API key?

Enable Demo Mode in the input. This returns realistic sample data so you can verify the output format works for your workflow.

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Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal