Labor Force Statistics

CFDA 17.002 Active Cooperative Agreement
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Program Funding

Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.

Latest annual funding (estimated)
$24.8M FY2026
$73.5M
FY24
$75M
FY25
$24.8M
FY26*
* estimated

Program Objective

To provide, analyze, and publish statistical data on payroll employment and the civilian labor force, employment and unemployment, persons not in the labor force, wages, hours, earnings, and occupational employment. Data are for the nation, states, metropolitan areas, and counties. Data can be monthly, quarterly, or annual.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

  • U.S. State Government
  • U.S. Territory Government

SWAs designated under Section 4 of the Wagner-Peyser Act (as amended by the Workforce Investment Act and subsequently the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act) are eligible to apply for cooperative agreement funding to operate the Current Employment Statistics (CES), Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) programs in the states. BLS may select an alternative applicant if a SWA declines to apply for cooperative agreement funding or otherwise substantially fails to meet BLS application and performance requirements. Requests for technical information may be made by the general public.

How to Apply

Application Procedure

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program.
Draft and final applications for cooperative agreement funding are submitted to the appropriate regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics according to a schedule of key dates. Requests for information may be made to the nearest regional office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Award Procedure

Upon submission of an acceptable application and after negotiation of specific program deliverables and costs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics awards cooperative agreement funding to the SWA.

Decision Timeline

  • Approval: From 60 to 90 days

The typical process would include guidelines and application materials being sent to SWA in early summer via GrantSolutions, with applications due by late summer. Cooperative agreements are executed and become effective October 1.

Program details & compliance

Description

Labor Force Statistics provide data are for the nation, states, metropolitan areas, and counties. Data can be monthly, quarterly, or annual.

Mission Categories

Primary: Employment Statistics

Other categories:
Business and Commerce StatisticsGeneral Collection and Communication of Statistical Data

Use of Funds

Allowed Uses

Funds in the form of cooperative agreements are available to state agencies designated by the Governor, usually State Workforce Agencies (SWA), for staffing, travel, equipment, expenses, and indirect costs of statistical business process operations such as sample refinement, data collection, non-response follow-up, data review and editing, estimation, data analysis, and data dissemination.

Restrictions

Use as defined under the terms of the Cooperative Agreement application package.

Required Documentation

The purpose of this revision is to update the language for BLS program 17.002 in the CFDA to reflect the applicability of OMB Circular A-87. Although no credentials or documentation are required, we discovered that the language in the CFDA for program 17.002 incorrectly states that OMB Circular A-87 does not apply to this program. The BLS LMI grantees are subject to the requirements of OMB Circular A-87. BLS Cooperative Agreements and other Administrative Memorandum reference OMB Circular A-87. Specifically, BLS agreements include an assurance that the grantees will comply with the required financial and compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act.

Reporting & Compliance

Audit Required
Yes — Annual
Records Retention
3 years

Applicable 2 CFR 200 Subparts

  • Subpart B — General Provisions
  • Subpart C — Pre-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart D — Post-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart E — Cost Principles
  • Subpart F — Audit Requirements

Contacts

Julie Hatch Maxfield — Associate Commissioner
(202) 691-5473
4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20476
Data from SAM.gov Federal Assistance Listings. Source published: 2026-03-04. Spec v2.0. Last synced: 2026-05-28 07:25:14.