The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program is a federal-state cooperative effort between the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program produces monthly labor force estimates that include labor force, employment, unemployment, and unemployment rates. Estimates are available for the United States, the State of North Carolina, and several sub-state geographical areas within North Carolina.

These sub-state geographical areas include: 15 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 24 Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 9 Combined Statistical Areas, 23 Workforce Development Board Areas, 8 Prosperity Zones, 100 counties, 42 cities and towns with population above 25,000, and 23 parts of cities that cross county boundaries. Additional statistical estimates including Labor Force Participation rates and Employment to Population ratios are available for the United States and the State of North Carolina. Estimates produced in the LAUS program are subject to monthly and annual revisions.