breaking local stories with economic data - bls by paul overberg

Title Slide Breaking Local Stories with Economic Data

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Overberg Paul

Paul Overberg, a database editor at USA TODAY, !nds news in all kinds of data. He focuses on who the American people are and how they live -- their demographics. "at includes income in all of its many forms; the lack of income, or poverty; and jobs, the primary source of income for most people. "rough IRE/NICAR, he often helps local reporters learn about this kind of data. He also has worked as a science and health editor and as a local reporter and business editor.

poverberg@usatoday.com @poverberg

What we’ll cover Real news stories using BLS data on: •  County employment, unemployment •  Metro labor force, unemployment •  Metro employment •  Metro wage rates •  State business dynamics •  How to !nd each type of data •  How to turn data → stories!

Photo by Flick user zesser

County unemployment

“Fairfax County’s jobless rate declined slightly from October to November … to 3.6% …” -- Vienna (VA) Sun Gazette, Jan. 17, 2013

•  Start here: bls.gov/lau/home.htm •  Click on highlighted link: “LAU tables and maps”

•  County data: bls.gov/lau/laucntycur14.txt •  If you have a spreadsheet, open !le and !lter on “Adams County, CO”

bls.gov/lau/home.htm

County unemployment

•  If you have a spreadsheet, open the !le and !lter on “Adams County, CO”

County unemployment

•  Ideas: Google image search for “county unemployment map”

County unemployment

Video: Excel as BLS dashboard How to collect regular BLS data updates without having to reformat, analyze and graph it each month

Metro unemployment “"e Lubbock-area unemployment rate fell to 5.8 percent in August from 6.4 percent in July … because of notable losses in both jobs and the civilian labor force.” -- Sept. 21, 2012, Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal

http://bls.gov/lau/home.htm

Metro unemployment •  Start here: bls.gov/lau/home.htm •  Choose !rst link in highlighted section: “Unemployment rates for metro areas”

Metro unemployment •  Direct links:  Monthly: bls.gov/web/metro/laummtrk.htm Year-over-year: bls.gov/web/metro/laummtch.htm

Metro employment “ … the six-county Chattanooga region added 3,900 jobs in the most recent 12-month period …” -- Dave Flessner, Feb. 1, 2013, Chattanooga Times Free-Press

Metro employment Start here: bls.gov/news.release/metro.toc.htm •  Table 1: Labor force, unemployed •  Table 3: Employed

bls.gov/news.release/metro.toc.htm

Metro employment Start here: bls.gov/news.release/metro.toc.htm •  Table 1: Labor force, unemployed •  Table 3: Employed

Local wages “… Miami-Dade !nishes in the middle of the pack. ... average weekly wage grew to $880 in the third quarter of 2011, a 3.3 percent gain ... .” -- Miami Herald, May 11, 2012

Local wages Start here: bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm •  Choose second link of fourth section: “For 375 metropolitan areas …”

•  Choose “K” for “Kentucky,” then metro Louisville.

bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm

Local wages Use column sorting to see top-paying occupations.

Video: Location quotient A powerful tool to analyze your local economy

Employment dynamics “… Colorado gained 128,595 private-sector jobs in last year’s fourth quarter from the previous quarter and lost 122,675 jobs, for a net gain of 5,920 jobs …” -- Mark Harden, Aug. 2, 2012, Denver Business Journal

Employment dynamics Start here: bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.toc.htm •  Click on link for Table 6

http://bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.toc.htm

Employment dynamics

Employment dynamics To explore much deeper: onthemap.ces.census.gov

Questions? Up next: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis