Covered Employment (QCEW)
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is a federal/state cooperative program that measures employment and wages in industries covered by unemployment insurance. Data are available by industry and county.
What is the data source?
We collect information about monthly employment, total wages and taxable wages from quarterly unemployment tax forms filed by employers. We also conduct quarterly surveys of employers who have more than one worksite in the state. For more data and maps at the state and national level, see the BLS CEW tool.
How often is the data updated?
Quarterly. Data are released four times a year, about seven months after the end of each quarter. In addition to quarterly data, we publish annual information. The 2017 Q1 report reflects the 2017 NAICS revisions, described here: https://www.bls.gov/cew/naics2017.htm
How is this information used?
- To evaluate labor trends.
- To monitor major industry developments.
- To develop training programs.
Recent Excel files:
- 2017 Q3 revised
- 2017 Q2 revised
- 2017 Q1 revised
- 2017 annual averages, preliminary
- 2016 annual averages, revised
- 2015 annual averages, revised
- 2014 annual averages
Additional reports are available for download in the report library.
2018 QCEW Report publication dates
| QCEW report | Release date |
| 2017 Annual Averages Preliminary | May 23, 2018 |
| 1Q 2018 Preliminary 2017 Annual Averages Revised |
August 22, 2018 |
| 2Q 2018 Preliminary 1Q 2018 Revised |
November 21, 2018 |
| 3Q 2018 Preliminary 2Q 2018 Revised |
February 20, 2019 |