# BLS Labor Statistics Scraper (`crawlerbros/bls-labor-statistics-scraper`) Actor

Fetch U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) time-series data - employment, unemployment, inflation (CPI), wages, and more - via the free BLS public API v1. No API key required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/bls-labor-statistics-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Jobs, Automation, Integrations
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## BLS Labor Statistics Scraper

Fetch U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) time-series data — employment, unemployment, inflation (CPI), wages, and more — using the **free BLS public API v1**. No registration or API key required.

### What you can scrape

- **Employment** — Total nonfarm payrolls, private sector, by industry
- **Unemployment** — Unemployment rate, number unemployed, labor force participation
- **Inflation (CPI)** — Consumer Price Index (all items, core, food, energy)
- **Producer Prices (PPI)** — Finished goods index
- **Wages** — Average hourly and weekly earnings by sector

### Input

| Field | Type | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | select | What to fetch (see modes below) | `getEmploymentData` |
| `seriesIds` | string | Comma-separated BLS series IDs (mode=getSeriesData only) | `CES0000000001,LNS14000000` |
| `startYear` | integer | First year to retrieve (1947–2024) | `2020` |
| `endYear` | integer | Last year to retrieve (1947–2024) | `2024` |
| `maxItems` | integer | Max number of data points to emit (1–2000) | `500` |

#### Modes

| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| `getSeriesData` | Fetch one or more BLS series by ID (comma-separated in `seriesIds`) |
| `getEmploymentData` | Preset: nonfarm payrolls + unemployment rate + labor force participation |
| `getInflationData` | Preset: CPI-U all items, core CPI, food index, energy index |
| `getWageData` | Preset: average hourly & weekly earnings (total private, manufacturing, leisure) |

#### Common BLS Series IDs

| Series ID | Description |
|---|---|
| `CES0000000001` | Total Nonfarm Employment |
| `LNS14000000` | Unemployment Rate |
| `LNS11000000` | Labor Force Participation Rate |
| `LNS12000000` | Civilian Employment Level |
| `CUUR0000SA0` | CPI-U: All Items (Urban Consumers) |
| `CUUR0000SA0L1E` | CPI-U: Core (ex food & energy) |
| `CES0500000003` | Average Hourly Earnings — Total Private |
| `WPSFD4` | PPI: Finished Goods |

### Output

Each output record represents one data point (typically one month) for one BLS series:

```json
{
  "seriesId": "CES0000000001",
  "seriesName": "Total Nonfarm Employment",
  "year": 2023,
  "period": "M06",
  "periodName": "June",
  "value": "156028",
  "valueNumeric": 156028.0,
  "footnotes": ["Preliminary."],
  "scrapedAt": "2026-06-03T10:00:00+00:00"
}
````

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `seriesId` | string | BLS series identifier |
| `seriesName` | string | Human-readable series name |
| `year` | integer | Year of the data point |
| `period` | string | BLS period code (e.g. M01 = January, Q01 = Q1) |
| `periodName` | string | Human-readable period name |
| `value` | string | Data value as returned by BLS |
| `valueNumeric` | float | Numeric value for calculations |
| `footnotes` | array | Footnote text (e.g. "Preliminary.", "Revised.") |
| `scrapedAt` | string | ISO 8601 timestamp of scrape |

### Data Source

Data is sourced from the **BLS Public Data API v1** at `https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v1/`. This is a completely free, publicly accessible API provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. No registration or API key is required.

### FAQs

**How far back does the data go?**
BLS data availability varies by series but generally goes back to 1947. The oldest series (like employment) start in the late 1940s.

**What is the update frequency?**
BLS releases monthly reports. The most recent data in the API is typically the prior month, with a 2–4 week lag.

**What is a BLS series ID?**
A series ID is a unique code that identifies a specific economic indicator (e.g. `LNS14000000` = unemployment rate). You can find more series IDs at [bls.gov/data](https://www.bls.gov/data/).

**Are there rate limits?**
The free API v1 allows up to 25 series per request and 500 requests per day. This actor respects those limits automatically.

**Can I get seasonally adjusted data?**
Yes. BLS series IDs starting with `S` (e.g. `CUSR0000SA0`) are seasonally adjusted. Series starting with `U` (e.g. `CUUR0000SA0`) are unadjusted.

**What does "Preliminary" footnote mean?**
Some data points are marked as preliminary and will be revised in a subsequent release.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What data to fetch. Use getSeriesData to query custom BLS series IDs, or use the preset modes for common indicators.

## `seriesIds` (type: `string`):

Comma-separated BLS series IDs to fetch (e.g. CES0000000001,LNS14000000). Only used when mode=getSeriesData. Common IDs: CES0000000001 (nonfarm employment), LNS14000000 (unemployment rate), CUUR0000SA0 (CPI-U), CES0500000003 (avg hourly earnings).

## `startYear` (type: `integer`):

First year of data to retrieve (inclusive). BLS data available from 1947.

## `endYear` (type: `integer`):

Last year of data to retrieve (inclusive). Maximum is 2024.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of data points to emit. Each month/period in a series is one item.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "getEmploymentData",
  "seriesIds": "CES0000000001,LNS14000000",
  "startYear": 2020,
  "endYear": 2024,
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `blsDataPoints` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped BLS time-series data points, one record per month/period per series.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "getEmploymentData",
    "seriesIds": "CES0000000001,LNS14000000",
    "startYear": 2020,
    "endYear": 2024,
    "maxItems": 200
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/bls-labor-statistics-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "getEmploymentData",
    "seriesIds": "CES0000000001,LNS14000000",
    "startYear": 2020,
    "endYear": 2024,
    "maxItems": 200,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/bls-labor-statistics-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "getEmploymentData",
  "seriesIds": "CES0000000001,LNS14000000",
  "startYear": 2020,
  "endYear": 2024,
  "maxItems": 200
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/bls-labor-statistics-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/bls-labor-statistics-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "BLS Labor Statistics Scraper",
        "description": "Fetch U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) time-series data - employment, unemployment, inflation (CPI), wages, and more - via the free BLS public API v1. No API key required.",
        "version": "1.0",
        "x-build-id": "t8tyoGdOrApSq7bIA"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/crawlerbros~bls-labor-statistics-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-bls-labor-statistics-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/crawlerbros~bls-labor-statistics-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-bls-labor-statistics-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/crawlerbros~bls-labor-statistics-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-bls-labor-statistics-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "required": [
                    "mode"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "mode": {
                        "title": "Mode",
                        "enum": [
                            "getSeriesData",
                            "getEmploymentData",
                            "getInflationData",
                            "getWageData"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "What data to fetch. Use getSeriesData to query custom BLS series IDs, or use the preset modes for common indicators.",
                        "default": "getEmploymentData"
                    },
                    "seriesIds": {
                        "title": "Series IDs (mode=getSeriesData)",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Comma-separated BLS series IDs to fetch (e.g. CES0000000001,LNS14000000). Only used when mode=getSeriesData. Common IDs: CES0000000001 (nonfarm employment), LNS14000000 (unemployment rate), CUUR0000SA0 (CPI-U), CES0500000003 (avg hourly earnings)."
                    },
                    "startYear": {
                        "title": "Start Year",
                        "minimum": 1947,
                        "maximum": 2024,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "First year of data to retrieve (inclusive). BLS data available from 1947.",
                        "default": 2020
                    },
                    "endYear": {
                        "title": "End Year",
                        "minimum": 1947,
                        "maximum": 2024,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Last year of data to retrieve (inclusive). Maximum is 2024.",
                        "default": 2024
                    },
                    "maxItems": {
                        "title": "Max Items",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 2000,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum number of data points to emit. Each month/period in a series is one item.",
                        "default": 500
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```