# BLS Employment Statistics Scraper (`martc03/bls-employment`) Actor Extracts employment and labor statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics API. Unemployment rates, CPI, employment data by series ID and date range. - **URL**: https://apify.com/martc03/bls-employment.md - **Developed by:** [CoDee](https://apify.com/martc03) (community) - **Categories:** Other, Automation - **Stats:** 3 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $0.01 / 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. 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 ## :chart_with_upwards_trend: BLS Employment & Labor Statistics Fetch **US employment and labor market data** from the [Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)](https://www.bls.gov/) API. Access unemployment rates, nonfarm payrolls, CPI inflation, hourly earnings, and **any custom BLS time series** — with data going back decades. ### What data does it extract? For each data point in a BLS time series, the Actor extracts: | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | **Series ID** | BLS series identifier (e.g., `LNS14000000`) | | **Series Title** | Human-readable name (e.g., "Unemployment Rate") | | **Year** | Data year | | **Period** | Month code (e.g., `M01` = January) | | **Period Name** | Full month name (e.g., "January") | | **Value** | The data value for that period | | **Footnotes** | Any BLS footnotes or annotations | ### Output example ```json { "seriesId": "LNS14000000", "seriesTitle": "Unemployment Rate", "year": "2025", "period": "M12", "periodName": "December", "value": "4.1", "footnotes": "", "scrapedAt": "2026-02-25T12:00:00.000Z", "sourceUrl": "https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/" } ```` ### Input options | Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | `seriesIds` | string\[] | BLS time series IDs to fetch. Default: Unemployment Rate, Nonfarm Employment, CPI. Max 3 without API key, 50 with key. | | `startYear` | integer | First year of data. Default: 2020. Max 10-year range without key, 20 with key. | | `endYear` | integer | Last year of data. Default: 2026. | | `apiKey` | string | Optional BLS registration key. Free at https://data.bls.gov/registrationEngine/ — increases limits 10x. | ### Common BLS series IDs | Series ID | Description | |-----------|-------------| | `LNS14000000` | Unemployment Rate | | `CES0000000001` | Total Nonfarm Employment | | `CUUR0000SA0` | CPI - All Urban Consumers | | `LNS12000000` | Civilian Employment Level | | `LNS11000000` | Civilian Labor Force Level | | `CES0500000003` | Average Hourly Earnings (Private) | ### Use cases - **Economists** — Track unemployment, inflation, and labor market trends for macroeconomic analysis - **Financial analysts** — Monitor CPI and wage data for interest rate and market predictions - **HR & compensation teams** — Benchmark wages using average hourly earnings data - **Policy researchers** — Study employment trends across industries and time periods - **Data journalists** — Report on jobs numbers, inflation, and labor force participation - **Investors** — Use labor market data as leading indicators for portfolio decisions ### Data freshness BLS publishes monthly data on a set schedule (e.g., jobs report on first Friday of each month). Schedule this Actor to run monthly to build a historical dataset. ### Cost This Actor uses the BLS public API. Typical cost: **less than $0.01 per run**. # Actor input Schema ## `seriesIds` (type: `array`): BLS time series IDs to fetch. Common series: LNS14000000 (Unemployment Rate), CES0000000001 (Total Nonfarm Employment), CUUR0000SA0 (CPI All Items), LNS12000000 (Civilian Employment Level), LNS11000000 (Civilian Labor Force Level), CES0500000003 (Avg Hourly Earnings, Private). Without an API key, max 3 series per query. ## `startYear` (type: `integer`): First year of data to fetch. Without an API key, max 10-year range. With a key, max 20 years. ## `endYear` (type: `integer`): Last year of data to fetch. Defaults to the current year. ## `apiKey` (type: `string`): Optional BLS API registration key. Without a key: 25 queries/day, 3 series per query, 10-year range. With a key: 500 queries/day, 50 series per query, 20-year range. Register free at https://data.bls.gov/registrationEngine/ ## Actor input object example ```json { "seriesIds": [ "LNS14000000", "CES0000000001", "CUUR0000SA0" ], "startYear": 2020, "endYear": 2026 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("martc03/bls-employment").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${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 '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("martc03/bls-employment").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 '{}' | apify call martc03/bls-employment --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=martc03/bls-employment", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "BLS Employment Statistics Scraper", "description": "Extracts employment and labor statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics API. Unemployment rates, CPI, employment data by series ID and date range.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "Jc4uQcyaygR9qPNv6" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/martc03~bls-employment/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-martc03-bls-employment", "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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/martc03~bls-employment/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-martc03-bls-employment", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/martc03~bls-employment/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-martc03-bls-employment", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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 time series IDs to fetch. Common series: LNS14000000 (Unemployment Rate), CES0000000001 (Total Nonfarm Employment), CUUR0000SA0 (CPI All Items), LNS12000000 (Civilian Employment Level), LNS11000000 (Civilian Labor Force Level), CES0500000003 (Avg Hourly Earnings, Private). Without an API key, max 3 series per query.", "default": [ "LNS14000000", "CES0000000001", "CUUR0000SA0" ], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "startYear": { "title": "Start Year", "minimum": 1900, "type": "integer", "description": "First year of data to fetch. Without an API key, max 10-year range. With a key, max 20 years.", "default": 2020 }, "endYear": { "title": "End Year", "minimum": 1900, "type": "integer", "description": "Last year of data to fetch. Defaults to the current year.", "default": 2026 }, "apiKey": { "title": "BLS API Registration Key", "type": "string", "description": "Optional BLS API registration key. Without a key: 25 queries/day, 3 series per query, 10-year range. With a key: 500 queries/day, 50 series per query, 20-year range. Register free at https://data.bls.gov/registrationEngine/" } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```