# BLS Unemployment Scraper | US Labor Statistics Data (`parseforge/bls-unemployment-scraper`) Actor
Pull US Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment series with period, rate, area, demographic, and seasonally adjusted flag. Filter by series ID and date range. Built for economists, fintech apps, labor market research, and analysts tracking US employment.
- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/bls-unemployment-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Other, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet
## Pricing
from $19.00 / 1,000 results
This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
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
## ๐ BLS Unemployment Scraper
> ๐ **Export BLS unemployment time series in seconds.** National, state, metro, and county unemployment data, straight to CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML.
> ๐ **Last updated:** 2026-05-25 ยท **๐ 8 fields** per record ยท **Local & national coverage** ยท **1948-present**
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks unemployment via the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program and the Current Population Survey. This actor wraps the official BLS public timeseries API to deliver clean observations for any series.
Coverage spans national rates, state and metro LAUS series, county-level data, and seasonally vs. unadjusted variants.
| ๐ฏ Target Audience | ๐ก Primary Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Economists | Regional labor analysis |
| Real estate teams | Metro demand modelling |
| Journalists | Local unemployment stories |
| Policy researchers | County labor trends |
### ๐ What the BLS Unemployment Scraper does
- Calls BLS public API for any LAUS or CPS series IDs
- Returns monthly observations with year, period, value
- Supports historical pulls back to series inception
- Flags the latest observation per series
> ๐ก **Why it matters:** Labor data, ready for analysis without the BLS UI.
### ๐ฌ Full Demo (_๐ง Coming soon_)
### โ๏ธ Input
Field
Type
Description
seriesIds
array
BLS series IDs (default LNS14000000)
maxItems
integer
Cap on observations
startYear
integer
Optional
endYear
integer
Optional
```json
{ "seriesIds": ["LNS14000000"], "maxItems": 50 }
````
```json
{ "seriesIds": ["LAUMT063108000000003"], "startYear": 2020, "endYear": 2025 }
```
> โ ๏ธ **Good to Know:** Without an API key, BLS limits queries. For heavy use, register a free key at bls.gov.
### ๐ Output
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ seriesId | string | BLS series ID |
| ๐ year | number | Observation year |
| ๐ period | string | M01-M13 |
| periodName | string | Month name |
| ๐ value | number | Unemployment rate or level |
| latest | boolean | Most recent obs |
| footnotes | array | BLS footnote text |
| ๐ scrapedAt | string | ISO timestamp |
### โจ Why choose this Actor
- Direct BLS API: official source
- Multi-series batching
- Latest flag for monitoring
### ๐ How it compares to alternatives
| Approach | Cost | Speed | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| This actor | Pay per result | Fast | None |
| BLS site manual | Free | Slow | Manual |
| FRED | Free | Fast | Custom code |
### ๐ How to use
1. [Create a free account w/ $5 credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp)
2. Open the actor
3. Set series IDs and optional year range
4. Run
5. Download dataset as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML
### ๐ผ Business use cases
#### Regional planning
Metro and county unemployment for site selection.
#### Workforce analytics
Track talent supply pressure in your market.
#### Financial modelling
Macro inputs for credit and risk models.
#### Media
Local labor stories powered by BLS.
### ๐ Automating BLS Unemployment Scraper
Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, Google Drive.
### ๐ Beyond business use cases
#### Research
Academic labor economics.
#### Personal
Local job market awareness.
#### Non-profit
Workforce development reporting.
#### Experimentation
Train labor demand models.
### ๐ค Ask an AI assistant about this scraper
ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Copilot can explain LAUS series IDs.
### โ Frequently Asked Questions
**Q: What is LAUS?** A: Local Area Unemployment Statistics program from BLS.
**Q: How granular?** A: Down to county.
**Q: Seasonally adjusted?** A: Depends on the series.
**Q: How far back?** A: National from 1948, local typically from 1990.
**Q: Updates?** A: Monthly.
**Q: API key needed?** A: Not for small queries.
**Q: Can I get labor force level?** A: Yes, via series IDs ending in 5 vs 3.
**Q: Are metro definitions current?** A: Yes, OMB-current.
**Q: Can I batch many series?** A: Yes, the input takes an array.
**Q: Where do I find series IDs?** A: bls.gov data tools.
### ๐ Integrate with any app
Make, Zapier, Slack, Airbyte, GitHub Actions, Google Sheets, Webhooks.
### ๐ Recommended Actors
| Actor | Description |
|---|---|
| [BLS CPI Data Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/bls-cpi-data-scraper) | Consumer Price Index series |
| [USAspending Contracts Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/usaspending-contracts-scraper) | Federal awards data |
| [Census QuickFacts Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/census-quickfacts-scraper) | US Census QuickFacts |
> ๐ก **Pro Tip:** browse the complete [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge).
**๐ Need Help?** [Open our contact form](https://tally.so/r/BzdKgA)
> **โ ๏ธ Disclaimer:** independent tool, not affiliated with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only publicly available data collected.
# Actor input Schema
## `seriesIds` (type: `array`):
BLS LAUS series IDs. Default is LNS14000000 (national unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted).
## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):
Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000
## `startYear` (type: `integer`):
Optional start year (default last 3 years).
## `endYear` (type: `integer`):
Optional end year (default current year).
## Actor input object example
```json
{
"seriesIds": [
"LNS14000000"
],
"maxItems": 10
}
```
# Actor output Schema
## `results` (type: `string`):
No description
# 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 '' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
token: '',
});
// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
"seriesIds": [
"LNS14000000"
],
"maxItems": 10
};
// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/bls-unemployment-scraper").call(input);
// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`๐พ 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);
});
// ๐ Want to learn more ๐? Go to โ 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 '' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("")
# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
"seriesIds": ["LNS14000000"],
"maxItems": 10,
}
# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/bls-unemployment-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)
# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("๐พ Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
print(item)
# ๐ Want to learn more ๐? Go to โ https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start
```
## CLI example
```bash
echo '{
"seriesIds": [
"LNS14000000"
],
"maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/bls-unemployment-scraper --silent --output-dataset
```
## MCP server setup
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"apify": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/bls-unemployment-scraper",
"--header",
"Authorization: Bearer "
]
}
}
}
```
## OpenAPI specification
```json
{
"openapi": "3.0.1",
"info": {
"title": "BLS Unemployment Scraper | US Labor Statistics Data",
"description": "Pull US Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment series with period, rate, area, demographic, and seasonally adjusted flag. Filter by series ID and date range. Built for economists, fintech apps, labor market research, and analysts tracking US employment.",
"version": "0.1",
"x-build-id": "wEqgXEuPydCUEyKh1"
},
"servers": [
{
"url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
}
],
"paths": {
"/acts/parseforge~bls-unemployment-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-parseforge-bls-unemployment-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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
}
}
}
},
"parameters": [
{
"name": "token",
"in": "query",
"required": true,
"schema": {
"type": "string"
},
"description": "Enter your Apify token here"
}
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "OK"
}
}
}
},
"/acts/parseforge~bls-unemployment-scraper/runs": {
"post": {
"operationId": "runs-sync-parseforge-bls-unemployment-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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": {
"$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"/acts/parseforge~bls-unemployment-scraper/run-sync": {
"post": {
"operationId": "run-sync-parseforge-bls-unemployment-scraper",
"x-openai-isConsequential": false,
"summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
"tags": [
"Run Actor"
],
"requestBody": {
"required": true,
"content": {
"application/json": {
"schema": {
"$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",
"properties": {
"seriesIds": {
"title": "Series IDs",
"type": "array",
"description": "BLS LAUS series IDs. Default is LNS14000000 (national unemployment rate, seasonally adjusted).",
"items": {
"type": "string"
}
},
"maxItems": {
"title": "Max Items",
"minimum": 1,
"maximum": 1000000,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Free users: Limited to 10 items (preview). Paid users: Optional, max 1,000,000"
},
"startYear": {
"title": "Start Year",
"minimum": 1948,
"maximum": 2030,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Optional start year (default last 3 years)."
},
"endYear": {
"title": "End Year",
"minimum": 1948,
"maximum": 2030,
"type": "integer",
"description": "Optional end year (default current year)."
}
}
},
"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
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
```