A Working Paper Presenting a Profile of Revisions in the Current Employment Statistics Program

The Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a large monthly survey of businesses that produces timely estimates of employment, hours, and earnings by industry and geographic area. The survey produces estimates about three weeks after the week that includes the 12th of the month, and then produces revised estimates for the same reference period as additional responses for that reference period are collected over the next two months. This paper examines the distribution of response by several characteristics, and provides profiles of monthly revisions at the national, state, and metropolitan area level.