get_laus: Download Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Data
In BLSloadR: Download Time Series Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
get_laus R Documentation
Download Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Data
Description
This function downloads Local Area Unemployment Statistics data from the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. Due to the large size of some LAUS datasets (county and city
files are >300MB), users must specify which geographic level to download. The function
provides access to both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted data at various geographic levels.
Additional datasets provide comprehensive non-seasonally-adjusted data for all areas broken out
in 5-year increments
Usage
get_laus(
geography = "state_adjusted",
monthly_only = TRUE,
transform = TRUE,
suppress_warnings = TRUE,
return_diagnostics = FALSE,
cache = check_bls_cache_env()
)
Arguments
geography
Character string specifying the geographic level and adjustment type.
Default is "state_adjusted". Valid options are:
"state_current_adjusted" - Current seasonally adjusted state data
"state_unadjusted" - All historical unadjusted state data
"state_adjusted" - All historical seasonally adjusted state data (default)
"region_unadjusted" - Unadjusted regional and division data
"region_adjusted" - Seasonally adjusted regional and division data
"metro" - Metropolitan statistical area data
"division" - Division-level data
"micro" - Micropolitan statistical area data
"combined" - Combined statistical area data
"county" - County-level data (large file >300MB)
"city" - City and town data (large file >300MB)
"1990-1994" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 1990-1994
"1995-1999" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 1995-1999
"2000-2004" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 2000-2004
"2005-2009" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 2005-2009
"2010-2014" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 2010-2014
"2015-2019" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 2015-2019
"2020-2024" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 2020-2024
"2025-2029" - Comprehensive unadjusted data for 2025-2029
"ST" - Any state two-character USPS abbreviation, plus DC and PR
monthly_only
Logical. If TRUE (default), excludes annual data (period M13)
and creates a date column from year and period.
transform
Logical. If TRUE (default), converts rate and ratio measures from
percentages to proportions by dividing by 100. Unemployment rates will be expressed
as decimals (e.g., 0.05 for 5% unemployment) rather than as whole numbers (e.g. 5).
suppress_warnings
Logical. If TRUE (default), suppress individual download warnings and diagnostic messages
for cleaner output during batch processing. If FALSE, returns the data and prints warnings and messages to the console.
return_diagnostics
Logical. If TRUE, returns a bls_data_collection object
with full diagnostics. If FALSE (default), returns just the data table.
cache
Logical. Uses USE_BLS_CACHE environment variable, or defaults to FALSE. If TRUE, will download a cached file from BLS server and update cache if BLS server indicates an updated file.
Details
The function joins data from multiple BLS files:
Main data file (varies by geography selection)
Series definitions (la.series)
Area codes and names (la.area)
Measure definitions (la.measure)
Value
By default, returns a data.table with LAUS data. If return_diagnostics = TRUE,
returns a bls_data_collection object containing LAUS data with the following key columns:
- series_id
BLS series identifier
- year
Year of observation
- period
Time period (M01-M12 for months, M13 for annual)
- value
Employment statistic value (transformed if transform = TRUE)
- date
Date of observation (if monthly_only = TRUE)
- area_text
Geographic area name
- area_type_code
Code indicating area type
- measure_text
Type of measure (unemployment rate, labor force, employment, etc.)
- seasonal
Seasonal adjustment status
Examples
## Not run:
# Download state-level seasonally adjusted data (default operation)
laus_states <- get_laus()
# View unemployment rates by state for latest period
unemployment <- laus_states[grepl("unemployment rate", measure_text) & date == max(date)]
# Download unadjusted state data
laus_states_unadjusted <- get_laus(geography = "state_unadjusted")
# Get full diagnostic object if needed
laus_with_diagnostics <- get_laus(return_diagnostics = TRUE)
print_bls_warnings(laus_with_diagnostics)
## End(Not run)
BLSloadR documentation built on April 23, 2026, 9:07 a.m.
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| get_laus | R Documentation |
Download Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Data
Description
This function downloads Local Area Unemployment Statistics data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Due to the large size of some LAUS datasets (county and city files are >300MB), users must specify which geographic level to download. The function provides access to both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted data at various geographic levels. Additional datasets provide comprehensive non-seasonally-adjusted data for all areas broken out in 5-year increments
Usage
get_laus(
geography = "state_adjusted",
monthly_only = TRUE,
transform = TRUE,
suppress_warnings = TRUE,
return_diagnostics = FALSE,
cache = check_bls_cache_env()
)
Arguments
geography |
Character string specifying the geographic level and adjustment type. Default is "state_adjusted". Valid options are:
|
monthly_only |
Logical. If TRUE (default), excludes annual data (period M13) and creates a date column from year and period. |
transform |
Logical. If TRUE (default), converts rate and ratio measures from percentages to proportions by dividing by 100. Unemployment rates will be expressed as decimals (e.g., 0.05 for 5% unemployment) rather than as whole numbers (e.g. 5). |
suppress_warnings |
Logical. If TRUE (default), suppress individual download warnings and diagnostic messages for cleaner output during batch processing. If FALSE, returns the data and prints warnings and messages to the console. |
return_diagnostics |
Logical. If TRUE, returns a bls_data_collection object with full diagnostics. If FALSE (default), returns just the data table. |
cache |
Logical. Uses USE_BLS_CACHE environment variable, or defaults to FALSE. If TRUE, will download a cached file from BLS server and update cache if BLS server indicates an updated file. |
Details
The function joins data from multiple BLS files:
Main data file (varies by geography selection)
Series definitions (la.series)
Area codes and names (la.area)
Measure definitions (la.measure)
Value
By default, returns a data.table with LAUS data. If return_diagnostics = TRUE, returns a bls_data_collection object containing LAUS data with the following key columns:
- series_id
BLS series identifier
- year
Year of observation
- period
Time period (M01-M12 for months, M13 for annual)
- value
Employment statistic value (transformed if transform = TRUE)
- date
Date of observation (if monthly_only = TRUE)
- area_text
Geographic area name
- area_type_code
Code indicating area type
- measure_text
Type of measure (unemployment rate, labor force, employment, etc.)
- seasonal
Seasonal adjustment status
Examples
## Not run:
# Download state-level seasonally adjusted data (default operation)
laus_states <- get_laus()
# View unemployment rates by state for latest period
unemployment <- laus_states[grepl("unemployment rate", measure_text) & date == max(date)]
# Download unadjusted state data
laus_states_unadjusted <- get_laus(geography = "state_unadjusted")
# Get full diagnostic object if needed
laus_with_diagnostics <- get_laus(return_diagnostics = TRUE)
print_bls_warnings(laus_with_diagnostics)
## End(Not run)
R Package Documentation
Browse R Packages
We want your feedback!
Note that we can't provide technical support on individual packages. You should contact the package authors for that.
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