THE DECISION

Source route

# BLS Public Data API ## What It Contains BLS Public Data API provides employment, prices, wages and labour-market time series through a documented public interface. It supports reproducible analysis when queries are bounded, source identifiers and retrieval dates are retained, and the publisher's service guidance is followed. Use the official route rather than scraping, and interpret results with the service's coverage, methodology, and update notes. The material is informative data, not an automatic professional conclusion. ## Search With Codex ```text Use BLS Public Data API only through https://www.bls.gov/developers/. Inspect the official documentation before writing a small Python query for a bounded research question. Respect pagination, rate limits, and error responses; return the documented fields in JSON with the source URL and retrieval timestamp. Do not scrape an unofficial site or invent an endpoint. ``` ## Python Starter Script ```python import json from urllib.request import Request, urlopen url = "https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/LNS14000000" # Replace with an authorised, documented query. request = Request(url, headers={"User-Agent": "byebuy.ai research (contact: you@example.com)", "Accept": "application/json"}) with urlopen(request, timeout=20) as response: if response.status != 200: raise RuntimeError(f"Unexpected HTTP status: {response.status}") payload = json.load(response) print(json.dumps(payload, indent=2)[:2000]) ``` ## Example Searches - What is the most recent official record for a bounded query? - Which available fields support a reproducible dashboard? - What metadata and retrieval date should accompany an export? ## What You Could Build - A provenance-aware research dashboard using permitted results. - A scheduled alert that records source updates rather than redistributing raw data. - A data-enrichment workflow that preserves the publisher's terms. ## Access and Rights Connect: API + REST. Rights code: M. No API key is required for the documented public route. Follow the official terms and source-specific notices. ## Geography Details Primary coverage is US; use the publisher's metadata for detailed scope. ## Related Databases - Census Data API ## Sources - [https://www.bls.gov/developers/](https://www.bls.gov/developers/) - [https://www.bls.gov/developers/](https://www.bls.gov/developers/) ## FAQ - **Is this an official route?** Yes; use the linked publisher documentation. - **Can I redistribute results?** Check the linked rights evidence and source-specific terms. - **Does it need credentials?** See Access and Rights. - **Should I scrape the website?** No; use the documented route. - **How current is it?** Check source metadata and the verification date.

THE USEFUL CORE

What you can query

• BLS Public Data API What It Contains BLS Public Data API provides employment, prices, wages and labour-market time series through a documented public interface.
• It supports reproducible analysis when queries are bounded, source identifiers and retrieval dates are retained, and the publisher's service guidance is followed.
• Use the official route rather than scraping, and interpret results with the service's coverage, methodology, and update notes.
• The material is informative data, not an automatic professional conclusion.
• Search With Codex text Use BLS Public Data API only through https://www.bls.gov/developers/.

WHAT TO VERIFY BEFORE USE

What to verify before use

Confirm the source licence, access rules, update cadence, documentation, and whether the data is complete enough for the decision you need to make.