Labor Statistics for the United States - Annual Averages for 2002 to 2004

Frequently-anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How should this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How should this data set be cited?

   National Atlas of the United States, 200512, Labor Statistics for the United States - Annual Averages for 2002 to 2004: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • <http://nationalatlas.gov/atlasftp.html>

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: 170

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -65

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 72

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 17

3. What does it look like?

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Beginning_Date: 2002

   Ending_Date: 2004

   Currentness_Reference: Ground condition

5. What is the general form of this data set?

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      Indirect_Spatial_Reference:

      U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas (FIPS 5-2): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

      U.S. Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas (FIPS 6-4): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • GT-polygon composed of chains (6104)

   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000278. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000278. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   Labor statistics by county (described by Labr02p020.dbf)

   Employment and unemployment information for the United States and Puerto Rico, for the years 2002 through 2004, as collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Shape

   The representation of the entity in the data. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Value	Definition
   Polygon	2-dimensional element

   Area

   The size of the shape in square coverage units. In the distributed file, coverage units represent square decimal degrees. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.000
   Maximum:	73.832

   Perimeter

   The perimeter of the shape in coverage units. In the distributed file, coverage units represent decimal degrees. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	0.010
   Maximum:	87.571

   Labr02p020

   Internal feature number. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Range of values
   Minimum:	2
   Maximum:	6105

   State

   The two-character abbreviation for the name of the State or State equivalent. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas; (Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 5-2): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
   Codeset Source:	U.S. Department of Commerce

   County

   The name of the county or county equivalent. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas; (Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 6-4): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
   Codeset Source:	U.S. Department of Commerce

   Fips

   The 5-digit FIPS code indicating the State and county to which the statistics apply. The first two digits are the State code, and the last three digits are the county code. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Counties and Equivalent Entities of the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas; (Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 6-4): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
   Codeset Source:	U.S. Department of Commerce

   State_fips

   The 2-digit FIPS code of the State or State equivalent. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Formal codeset
   Codeset Name:	Codes for the Identification of the States, the District of Columbia and the Outlying Areas of the United States, and Associated Areas; (Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 5-2): Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
   Codeset Source:	U.S. Department of Commerce

   Lf_ZZZZ

   The total labor force in the county, for the year ZZZZ. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Value	Definition
   -9999	Separate labor statistics are not available for the county. Kalawao County, HI is merged with Maui County for analysis.

   Range of values
   Minimum:	47
   Maximum:	4809764

   E_ZZZZ

   The total number of employed persons in the county, for the year ZZZZ. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Value	Definition
   -9999	Separate labor statistics are not available for the county. Kalawao County, HI is merged with Maui County for analysis.

   Range of values
   Minimum:	44
   Maximum:	4494040

   Une_ZZZZ

   The total number of unemployed persons in the county, for the year ZZZZ. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Value	Definition
   -9999	Separate labor statistics are not available for the county. Kalawao County, HI is merged with Maui County for analysis.

   Range of values
   Minimum:	2
   Maximum:	334214

   R_ZZZZ

   The unemployment rate for the county, for the year ZZZZ. (Source: National Atlas of the United States)

   Value	Definition
   0.0	Separate labor statistics are not available for the county. Kalawao County, HI is merged with Maui County for analysis.

   Range of values
   Minimum:	1.6
   Maximum:	28.7

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • National Atlas of the United States

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   Peg Rawson
   National Atlas of the United States
   12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
   Reston, VA 20192
   

   703-648-4183 (voice)
   [email protected]
   

Why was the data set created?

These data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national level, and for large regional areas. The data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:2,000,000-scale data. No responsibility is assumed by the National Atlas of the United States in the use of these data.

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

   BLS2002 (source 1 of 8)

   Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003, 2002 Local Area Unemployment Statistics for the United States: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Electronic mail system

   Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

   Atlas_Cnty2001 (source 2 of 8)

   National Atlas of the United States, 200208, County Boundaries of the United States, 2001: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

   Online Links:

   • <http://nationalatlas.gov/atlasftp.html>

   Type_of_Source_Media: Online

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

   Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

   Atlas_Labor2002 (source 3 of 8)

   National Atlas of the United States, 200405, Labor Statistics for the United States - Annual Averages for 2002: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Online

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

   Source_Contribution: Spatial information

   BLS2002_2003 (source 4 of 8)

   Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004, 2002 and 2003 Local Area Unemployment Statistics for the United States: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Electronic mail system

   Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

   Atlas_Labor2002_2003 (source 5 of 8)

   National Atlas of the United States, 200411, Labor Statistics for the United States - Annual Averages for 2002 and 2003: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Online

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

   Source_Contribution: Spatial information

   BLS2004 (source 6 of 8)

   Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005, 2004 Local Area Unemployment Statistics for the United States: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Electronic mail system

   Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

   Atlas_Labor2002_2004 (source 7 of 8)

   National Atlas of the United States, 200509, Labor Statistics for the United States - Annual Averages for 2002 to 2004: National Atlas of the United States, Reston, VA.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Online

   Source_Scale_Denominator: 2000000

   Source_Contribution: Spatial information

   Updated_BLS2002_2003 (source 8 of 8)

   Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005, 2004 Local Area Unemployment Statistics for the United States: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC.

   Type_of_Source_Media: Electronic mail system

   Source_Contribution: Spatial and attribute information

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: May-2004 (process 1 of 4)

   Year 2002 labor statistics were received from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a database file. The file was loaded to ArcView, then an attribute field was added and populated with the 5-digit FIPS code for each county.

   The 2001 County Boundaries file from the National Atlas was edited to removed polygons associated with the U.S. Virgin Islands and polygons with no county designation (water areas). The edited county boundaries file was joined to the 2002 labor statistics database and the result saved as a new file. Unnecessary attribute fields were deleted and fields were renamed as necessary.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • BLS2002
   • Atlas_Cnty2001

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Atlas_Labor2002

   Date: Nov-2004 (process 2 of 4)

   Year 2002 and 2003 labor statistics were received from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as MicroSoft Excel files. The 2002 file represents an updated version of the file used for the May 2004 National Atlas data set. The files were loaded to ArcGIS and saved as a single database file. An attribute field was added and populated with the 5-digit FIPS code for each county.

   The 2002 labor attributes contained in the May 2004 National Atlas file were deleted. The following county names were edited based on the GNIS database: DeBaca NM, DeKalb AL, DeKalb GA, DeKalb IL, DeKalb MO, DeKalb TN, DeSoto FL, DeSoto MS, DeWitt TX, DuPage IL, LaMoure ND, and Saint Mary's MD. The edited file was joined to the 2002 and 2003 labor statistics database and the result saved as a new file. Values for Kalawao, HI were edited.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • BLS2002_2003
   • Atlas_Labor2002

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Atlas_Labor2002_2003

   Date: Aug-2005 (process 3 of 4)

   Year 2004 labor statistics were received from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as dBASE VI file. The file was loaded to ArcView and an attribute field was added and populated with the 5-digit FIPS code for each county. The file was joined to Atlas_Labor2002_2003.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • BLS2004
   • Atlas_Labor2002_2003

   Data sources produced in this process:

   • Atlas_Labor2002_2004

   Date: Sep-2005 (process 4 of 4)

   Updated labor statistics for the years 2002 and 2003 were received from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as dBASE VI file. The file was loaded to ArcView and joined to Atlas_Labor2002_2004. The updated values were calculated into the existing attributes. The values for areas in Puerto Rico did not change.

   Data sources used in this process:

   • Updated_BLS2002_2003
   • Atlas_Labor2002_2004

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

1. How well have the observations been checked?

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

   This data set includes labor statistics for all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

   The data set was checked for topological consistency using the Arc/INFO command BUILD. No other checks for logical consistency were performed on this data set.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: None

Use_Constraints:

None. Acknowledgment of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and (or) the National Atlas of the United States of America would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   Earth Science Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey
   507 National Center
   Reston, VA 20192
   

   1-888-ASK-USGS (1-888-275-8747) (voice)
   

   Contact_Instructions:

   In addition to the address above there are other ESIC offices throughout the country. A full list of these offices is at <http://geography.usgs.gov/esic/esic_index.html>.

2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

   Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made by the U.S. Geological Survey regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. No responsibility is assumed by the U.S. Geological Survey in the use of these data.

4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	ESRI Shapefile
     Network links:	<http://nationalatlas.gov/atlasftp.html>

     Data format:	SDTS
     Network links:	<http://nationalatlas.gov/atlasftp.html>

   • Cost to order the data: There is no charge for the data set.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 04-Nov-2005

Metadata author:

Peg Rawson
National Atlas of the United States
12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
Reston, VA 20192

703-648-4183 (voice)
[email protected]

Metadata standard:

FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)