Covered Employment (QCEW)

Learn about the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, a program that measures employment and wages in industries covered by unemployment insurance.

The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) is a federal/state cooperative program that measures employment and wages in industries covered by unemployment insurance. Data are available by industry and county. We collect information about monthly employment, total wages and taxable wages from quarterly unemployment tax forms filed by employers. We also conduct quarterly surveys of employers who have more than one worksite in the state.

QCEW data is collected quarterly and released about seven months after the end of each quarter. In addition to quarterly data, we publish annual information. More information on NAICS codes can be found at North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) at BLS : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These reports can be used to evaluated labor trends, monitor major industry developments, and to develop training programs.

More data and maps at the state and national level are available at:

Recent files

Additional reports are available for download in the report library.

2024 publication dates

QCEW report Release date
QCEW report 3Q 2024 Preliminary Release date March 21, 2025
QCEW report 2Q 2024 Revised Release date March 21, 2025
QCEW report 2024 Annual Averages Preliminary Release date June 20, 2025
QCEW report 1Q 2025 Preliminary Release date September 19, 2025
QCEW report 2024 Annual Averages Revised Release date September 19, 2025
QCEW report 2Q 2025 Preliminary Release date December 19, 2025
QCEW report 1Q 2025 Revised Release date December 19, 2025
QCEW report 2025 Establishment Size Report Release date January 16, 2026