BLS Public Data API

The BLS Public Data API is the agency's public REST + JSON service for retrieving published historical time series across every BLS program. v1 is open and unauthenticated with smaller daily limits and per-request caps; v2 requires a free registration key and unlocks 500 queries per day, up to 50 series per request, up to 20 years per query, optional catalog metadata, net/percent-change calculations, and annual averages. All requests return a uniform JSON envelope with status, responseTime, and Results.series, where each series carries data points keyed by year and period (M01–M12 for monthly, Q01–Q04 for quarterly, S01–S03 for semi annual, A01 for annual, M13 for annual averages).

BLS Public Data API is published by Bureau of Labor Statistics on the APIs.io network, described by a machine-readable OpenAPI specification.

This API exposes 3 machine-runnable capabilities that can be deployed as REST, MCP, or Agent Skill surfaces via Naftiko and 2 JSON Schema definitions.

Tagged areas include Labor Statistics, Employment, Unemployment, Consumer Price Index, and Producer Price Index. The published artifact set on APIs.io includes API documentation, a getting-started guide, an OpenAPI specification, a JSON-LD context, rate-limit docs, 3 Naftiko capability specs, and 2 JSON Schemas.

Documentation

Specifications

Schemas & Data

Other Resources

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Registration
https://data.bls.gov/registrationEngine/
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TermsOfService
https://www.bls.gov/developers/termsOfService.htm
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SignatureExamples
https://www.bls.gov/developers/api_sample_code.htm
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JSONLD
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/json-ld/bls-gov-context.jsonld
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SpectralRuleset
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/rules/bls-public-data-api-rules.yml
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NaftikoCapability
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/capabilities/bls-public-data-time-series.yaml
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NaftikoCapability
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/capabilities/bls-public-data-popular-series.yaml
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NaftikoCapability
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/capabilities/bls-public-data-surveys.yaml
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DataAPI
https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/data/
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DataAPI
https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/surveys
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DataAPI
https://api.bls.gov/publicAPI/v2/timeseries/popular
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Plans
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/plans/bls-gov-plans-pricing.yml
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FinOps
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/finops/bls-gov-finops.yml
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Examples
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/examples/bls-get-unemployment-rate-example.json
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Examples
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/examples/bls-list-surveys-example.json
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Vocabulary
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/bls-gov/refs/heads/main/vocabulary/bls-gov-vocabulary.yml

OpenAPI Specification

bls-public-data-api-openapi.yml Raw ↑