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. 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.

QCEW data is collected quarterly and released about seven months after the end of each quarter. In addition to quarterly data, we publish annual information. More information on NAICS codes can be found at North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) at BLS : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These reports can be used to evaluated labor trends, monitor major industry developments, and to develop training programs.

More data and maps at the state and national level are available at:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics CEW Tool
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Glossary
• ETA guide to state and local workforce data

Recent files

• 2024 Q1 preliminary
• 2023 annual averages, revised
• 2022 annual averages, revised
• 2021 annual averages, revised
• 2020 annual averages, revised
• 2019 annual averages, revised

Additional reports are available for download in the report library.

2024 publication dates