---
title: "Data sources — the datasets behind DTG figures | Data Tactical Group"
route: "/docs/methodology/sources"
updated: "2026-09-04"
---

# Data sources

The datasets DTG figures are built from.

Updated 2026-09-04

This page lists every dataset that contributes to DTG figures and states what each one provides. How those inputs are combined is described on the industry data, occupation data, disclosure and projections pages.

DTG series begin with the first quarter of 2004, the earliest year DTG’s method applies consistently across the full series. Coverage is the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and their counties and county-equivalents, together with a per-state unallocated area described on the [industry data](/docs/methodology/industry) page. Territories are not included.

## Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly. County, state and national. NAICS.

QCEW is compiled from the quarterly reports employers file under state unemployment insurance programs, and is the source of record for every DTG figure. Where QCEW publishes a value, DTG publishes that value.

QCEW is a census rather than a sample. It counts jobs actually reported by employers, not estimates drawn from a survey of them, and covers more than 95 percent of United States jobs. That is why it is the basis for DTG data, and why the other sources on this page are used to complete, extend or regionalize it rather than to replace it.

DTG ingests the published quarterly files at every NAICS level for the nation, all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, and all counties. Ownership is carried for federal, state and local government and for private industry.

QCEW counts employment covered by state unemployment insurance programs. Self-employed workers, most agricultural workers, and other employment outside UI coverage are not included, and a DTG employment figure will be lower than a “total employment” figure drawn from sources that count them.

BLS publishes preliminary figures for a reference quarter and revises them as later data arrives. DTG reprocesses the current and prior data-file years with each release, and incorporates any revisions BLS announces for earlier periods.

## County Business Patterns

U.S. Census Bureau. Annual. County. NAICS.

CBP reports the number of establishments, employment during the week of March 12, first-quarter payroll and annual payroll, by county and industry. Its universe and reference period differ from QCEW’s. DTG uses it as one input to estimates for QCEW cells that are not disclosed.

## Current Employment Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly. National. NAICS.

CES produces national estimates of nonfarm payroll employment, hours and earnings. Estimates for a reference month are published in the Employment Situation news release, typically on the third Friday after the conclusion of the reference week, which is the week that includes the 12th of the month. DTG uses the unadjusted series to extend the industry series past the most recent QCEW release.

## State and Metro Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Monthly. State and metropolitan area. NAICS.

SAE, produced by the CES program, publishes the same measures for states, the District of Columbia and metropolitan areas. State estimates appear in the State Employment and Unemployment news release about three weeks after the reference month, and metropolitan area estimates follow about a week later. DTG uses the unadjusted series for the same purpose as CES, below the national level.

## Employment Projections

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual. National. NAICS and SOC.

The EP program develops national projections ten years forward, publishing employment by industry and occupation for a base year and a projection year. DTG uses its national industry-occupation matrix as an input to occupation data, and its industry projections, including the National Industry-Occupation Employment Matrix (NIOEM), to anchor national industry projections. EP publishes for the nation only.

## Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual. National, state and substate. SOC.

OEWS reports employment and wages by occupation. DTG uses national, state, and metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area estimates for published historical years as an input to occupation employment and earnings.

Still stuck? A person can help.

[Get support](/support)