Current Population Survey-Basic Monthly (CPS-BMS)—The Current Population Survey-Basic Monthly Survey (CPS-BMS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This survey is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population and provides estimates for the nation as a whole. The sample is scientifically selected to represent the civilian non-institutionalized population. Individuals are asked questions about the employment status of each member of the household 15 years of age and older, but published data only focuses on those ages 16 and over. Estimates obtained from the CPS-BMS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of work, and other indicators. 

Current Population Survey (CPS-ASEC)—The Current Population Survey-Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC) is an annual survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census. This survey is the primary source of information on the income, poverty, and health insurance.  It also asks about employment in the previous calendar year.  The sample for the CPS-ASEC is drawn from the sample of the CPS-BMS.  The CPS-ASEC is also known as the CPS March Supplement and the CPS Income Supplement.

Disability Status (CPS-BMS & CPS-ASEC)—The CPS program uses a set of six questions to identify persons with disabilities. A response of “yes” to any one of the questions indicates that the person in question has a disability. The disability questions appear in the CPS in the following format:

• This month we want to learn about people who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer for household members who are 16 years old or over.
• Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing?
• Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?
• Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?
• Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
• Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing?
• Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

Employed Persons (CPS-BMS & CPS-ASEC)—Individuals 16 or more years old that are civilians and are not currently institutionalized and, during the reference week, (a) performed at least one hour of work as a paid employee; worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as an unpaid worker in a business owned by a relative; and (b) all those who had jobs or businesses but are on leave because of vacation, illness, bad weather, childcare problems, maternity or paternity leave, labor-management dispute, job training, or other family or personal reasons, regardless of whether they were compensated for the time off or were seeking other jobs. Each employed person is counted only once, even if he or she holds more than one job. Individuals who work around their own house (painting, repairing, or own home housework) or volunteer for religious, charitable, and other organizations are excluded.

Employment-Population Ratio (CPS-BMS)—The proportion of the civilian non-institutional population that is employed. 

Employment Rate (CPS-ASEC)—The number of individuals that are employed as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Full-Time, Full-Year (CPS-ASEC)—A person is considered to be working full-time, full-year worker if he or she worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in the past 12 months.

Full-Time, Full-Year Rate (CPS-ASEC)—The number of individuals that are working full-time, full-year as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Labor Force (CPS-BMS & CPS-ASEC)—All persons classified as employed or unemployed.

Labor Force Participation Rate (CPS-BMS & CPS-ASEC)—The labor force as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Labor Market Attachment (CPS-ASEC)—A person is considered to be attached to the labor market if he or she worked at least at least 52 hours in the calendar year prior to the survey.

Labor Market Attachment Rate (CPS-ASEC)—The number of individuals attached to the labor market as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Unemployed Persons (CPS-BMS)—Individuals who are 16 or more years old and were available to work, who had no employment during the reference week, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the month prior to the reference week.

Poverty (CPS-ASEC)—The Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it are considered to be in poverty.

Poverty Rate (CPS-ASEC)—Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty.

Unemployed Rate (CPS-BMS)—The percentage of the labor force that is unemployed.

Work Limitation (CPS-ASEC)—A person is considered to have a work limitation if he or she has “a health problem or disability which prevents them from working or which limits the kind or amount of work he or she can do.”