Economic Data Resources
At Carolina Demography, we don’t just answer questions about basic demographics. We also regularly field questions from individuals and organizations about economic data availability, usage, and interpretation. We discussed demographic data resources in this post; here’s our guide to key data resources for information about the economic well-being of North Carolina residents and labor force details.
SAIPE are produced annually for school districts, counties, and states. The main objective of this Census Bureau program is to provide updated estimates of income and poverty statistics for the administration of federal programs and the allocation of federal funds. These estimates are produced through a model-based approach that combines data from administrative records, population estimates, the decennial census, and the American Community Survey. These annual estimates will be more reflective of current economic conditions than the 5-year ACS data. Access data here.
The SAHIE program produces state and county-level estimates of insurance coverage by detailed demographic and income groups. These are model-based estimates and are linked to the ACS data. Annual estimates are available from 2008 onwards, so SAHIE can be used to compare changes in insurance coverage over time. Access data here.
The LAUS program produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment, and labor force data for Census regions and divisions, states, counties, metropolitan areas, and many larger cities. Data can be accessed directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website or through NC Commerce’s D4 system.
The QCEW program is also run through the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This program publishes a quarterly count of employment and wages at the county, MSA, state, and national levels by industry. The QCEW data cover 98% of U.S. jobs. Access data directly from the BLS here or explore at NC Commerce.
OES is another BLS program and produces annual employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations. These are produced at the national, state, and metro areas by BLS. NC Commerce Labor and Economic Analysis Division (LEAD) maintains county-level OES estimates in its D4 query system. They can be accessed here.
Contact Rebecca Tippett at Carolina Demography (919-962-6151 or rtippett@unc.edu) to discuss your projects and associated costs. We can help you have data-driven insights into the community you serve and its opportunities and challenges.
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