Government Unemployment

Overview

The Government Unemployment dataset provides government-sourced labor force and unemployment information for US geographic areas. Use this dataset to analyze employment, unemployment, labor force size, labor force participation, and related population measures.

The dataset is available through the government_unemployment dataset in Lightcast MCP.

Purpose

The Government Unemployment dataset provides government-sourced employment and labor force data for US geographic areas. Use it to understand unemployment, employment, labor force size, and participation across locations and, where supported, industries, occupations, and demographic groups.

Unlike Job Postings and Profiles, this dataset provides broader labor market measures from government data sources.

What the Dataset Measures

Business Meaning	Description
Employment	Number of employed persons in the labor force, including 12-month averages.
Unemployment	Number of unemployed persons, unemployment rates, and 12-month averages.
Labor Force	Number of employed and unemployed persons in the labor force.
Labor Force Participation	Share of the civilian non-institutional population participating in the labor force.
Population	Civilian non-institutional population is used to calculate participation rates.

Common Use Cases

Unemployment Rate Analysis

Measure the share of the labor force that is unemployed in a specific geographic area.

Unemployment Count Analysis

Measure the number of unemployed persons actively seeking work.

Employment Analysis

Measure employment levels across geographic areas and time periods.

Labor Force Analysis

Understand the size of the labor force, including employed and unemployed persons.

Labor Force Participation Analysis

Compare labor force participation across geographic areas and population groups.

Regional Labor Market Comparison

Compare employment, unemployment, and labor force conditions across states, metropolitan areas, and counties.

Example Questions

01/What is the unemployment rate in Seattle right now?

Measure the current unemployment rate for a metropolitan area. Related metric: lmi.unemployment_rate.

02/How many unemployed people are there in Los Angeles County this month?

Measure the number of unemployed people actively seeking work in a county. Related metric: lmi.unemployment.

03/How has labor force participation changed over time in Portland?

Track changes in labor force participation across time periods. Related metric: lmi.labor_force_participation_rate.

04/How many people are employed in Florida?

Measure employment for a state. Related metric: lmi.employment.

05/Which metro areas have the highest unemployment rates this month?

Rank metropolitan areas by unemployment rate. Related metric: lmi.unemployment_rate.

Available Dimensions

Dimension	Description
`industry_naics`	North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Supports sector-level (level 1) classifications.
`occupation_soc`	Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). Supports major group (level 1) classifications.
`location_area_us`	US geographic areas, including states, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), and counties.
`demographic_gender`	Gender of persons in the labor force.
`demographic_race`	Race of persons in the labor force.
`demographic_ethnicity`	Ethnicity of persons in the labor force.

For dimension definitions and filtering guidance, see Dimensions.

Industry and occupation filters apply to employment and unemployment counts and rates. Population denominator metrics are area-level measures and are not available with industry or occupation filters.

Available Metrics

Metrics	Descriptions
`lmi.employment`	Number of employed persons in the labor force.
`lmi.employment_twelve_month_average`	12-month rolling average of employment.
`lmi.unemployment`	Number of unemployed persons actively seeking work.
`lmi.unemployment_twelve_month_average`	12-month rolling average of unemployment.
`lmi.unemployment_rate`	Percentage of the labor force that is unemployed.
`lmi.labor_force`	Number of persons in the labor force, including employed and unemployed persons.
`lmi.labor_force_participation_rate`	Percentage of the 16+ civilian non-institutional population in the labor force.
`lmi.working_age_labor_force_participation_rate`	Percentage of the 16 to 64 civilian non-institutional population in the labor force.
`lmi.labor_force_population`	Civilian non-institutional population aged 16 and older.
`lmi.working_age_population`	Civilian non-institutional population aged 16 to 64.

For metric definitions and usage guidance, see Metrics.

Supported MCP Tools

Tool	Supported	Purpose
`distribution`	No	Not supported for this dataset.
`estimate`	Yes	Retrieve employment, unemployment, labor force, participation, and population metrics.
`count`	No	Not supported for this dataset.
`list`	No	Not supported for this dataset.
`timeseries`	Yes	Retrieve metrics across yearly or monthly intervals.
`top`	Yes	Rank areas, industries, occupations, or demographic groups by supported unemployment and labor force metrics.