Household and establishment survey response rates

Introduction

This page presents information on BLS establishment and household survey response rates—the percentage of the sample that responds to or participates in a survey. Response rates are usually calculated as:

Response Rate = (# units responding) / ((# units eligible) + (# of units with eligibility undetermined))

Different surveys have different definitions of what is and isn’t eligible. Refer to survey response rate calculations for more detail.

Historically, survey response rates have been used as a measure of how representative a survey is of the sampled population.¹ Response rates of surveys don't relate well to nonresponse bias, but the pattern of the response rates may give insights into survey processes. There are many reasons why response rates differ between surveys: the amount of time available to collect data, the mode of data collection, and constraints on who can respond. Changes in patterns that are similar between surveys might indicate a common cause, while rate changes unique to a survey might point to a change in methods.

This report groups similar surveys to allow for comparisons. For example, response rates from surveys collected from business establishments are shown together while those collected from households are shown together. Date ranges will vary from chart to chart depending on the most recent time period for which data are available.

Nonresponse bias links show examples of nonresponse bias studies (where available). Additional nonresponse bias studies may be found on the survey’s webpage, linked in the first column of each table.

Response rates on this webpage are updated annually.

Note

¹Groves, R.M. & Peytcheva, E. (2008). "The impact of nonresponse rates on nonresponse bias: a meta-analysis." Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(2), 167–189.

Chart 1. Household surveys

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Note

CE-Diary and CE-Interview

Data are collected monthly throughout the year, but the response rates reflect the annual collection response rate of the published tables.

Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS)

The drop in TPOPS response rates in 2012 is the result of the conversion from a landline only sample frame to a dual frame sample design containing both landlines and cell phones.

Household survey features
Survey	Sample size	Mandatory/Voluntary	Frequency	Collection methods	Collection period	Approximate survey length	Nonresponse bias research
American Time Use Survey (ATUS)	2,060 households	Voluntary	Monthly	Phone	8 weeks	18 min	Info
Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) — Diary	1,700 households	Voluntary	Monthly	Diary	2 months	2 weeks	Info
Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) — Interview	3,365 households	Voluntary	Monthly	Personal visit, Phone	1 month	65 min	Info
Consumer Price Index — Housing (CPI—Housing)	7,800 housing units	Voluntary	Monthly	Personal visit, Phone	1 month	5 min	Info
Current Population Survey (CPS)	60,000 households	Voluntary	Monthly	Personal visit, Phone	10 days	10 min (varies by month)	Info
Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS)	33,000 households	Voluntary	Quarterly	RDD (Random Digital Dialing), Phone	7 weeks	13 min	Info

Chart 2. Establishment surveys: overall unit response rates

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Notes

Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)

In order to achieve the necessary savings for the funding level allocated to BLS in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, the BLS reduced the scope and frequency of collection for select units in the ARS. For more information, refer to 2014 Budget Enacted for Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Consumer Price Index Commodities & Services (CPI C&S;) and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

The drop in CPI C&S and JOLTS response rates in October 2013 was due to the Federal Government Shutdown.

Establishment survey features
Survey	Sample size	Mandatory/Voluntary	Frequency	Collection methods	Collection period	Nonresponse bias research
Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)	1,200,000 establishments	Mandatory in 26 states	Annual	Mail, Web	12 months	Info
Consumer Price Index — Commodities & Services (CPI C&S)	138,000 price quotes	Voluntary	Monthly	Personal visit, Web, Phone	20-22 business days	NA
Current Employment Statistics Survey (CES)	651,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing), EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), Web, Fax, TDE (Touchtone Data Entry), Other	About 2 months	Info
Employment Cost Index (ECI)	15,000 establishments	Voluntary	Quarterly	Personal visit, Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail	45 days	NA
International Price Program — Exports (IPP-Exports)	5,400 price quotes	Voluntary	Annual	Personal visit, Web	1 year	Info
International Price Program — Imports (IPP-Imports)	9,175 price quotes	Voluntary	Annual	Personal visit, Web	1 year	Info
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)	16,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	CATI, Web, E-mail, Fax	About 45 days	Info
Occupational Employment Statistics Survey (OES)	1,200,000 establishments	Voluntary in most states	Annual	Mail, Fax, Phone, Web, E-mail	About 6 months	NA
Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)	240,000 establishments	Mandatory	Annual	Mail, Fax, Phone, Web, E-mail	7 months	Info

Chart 3. Establishment surveys: initiation

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Notes

Consumer Price Index — Commodities & Services (CPI C&S;)

The CPI rate is an unweighted average over the most recent eight semi-annual initiation (collection) periods, whereas the other surveys' rates are calculated based on the most recent initiation (collection) period.

Employment Cost Index (ECI)

The higher than usual ECI initiation rates for September 2015, December 2015, March 2016, and June 2016, are due to higher response rates for the initiation of the state and local government sample, which occurs approximately every 10 years.

International Price Program – Exports (IPP-Exports) and International Price Program – Imports (IPP-Imports)

The IPP fields one import and one export sample each year. Each sample takes approximately 12-15 months to initiate. The month listed in the chart and initiation rate table is the end date for a particular initiation period of a sample.

Establishment survey features
Survey	Number of initiations attempted annually	Mandatory/Voluntary	Collection methods	Collection period
Consumer Price Index — Commodities & Services (CPI C&S)	10,500 establishments	Voluntary	Personal visit, Web	February-July and August-January
Current Employment Statistics Survey (CES)	70,000 establishments	Voluntary	CATI	3 months
Employment Cost Index (ECI)	3,300 establishments	Voluntary	Personal visit, Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail	45 days
International Price Program — Exports (IPP-Exports)	950 establishments	Voluntary	Personal visit	1 year
International Price Program — Imports (IPP-Imports)	1,500 establishments	Voluntary	Personal visit	1 year
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)	7,200 establishments	Voluntary	CATI	3 months
Producer Price Index (PPI), Initiation	4,500 establishments	Voluntary	Personal visit	24-30 months

Chart 4. Establishment surveys: repricing/collection at first preliminary release

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Notes

General

These rates only include data received prior to the deadline for the first preliminary release for surveys that have multiple releases prior to the final release. Final release response rates for these surveys and for surveys that have only a single release can be found on chart 2.

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

The drop in JOLTS response rates in October 2013 was due to the Federal Government Shutdown.

Establishment survey features
Survey	Sample size	Mandatory/Voluntary	Frequency	Collection methods	Collection period
Current Employment Statistics Survey (CES)	651,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	CATI, EDI, Web, Fax, TDE, Other	10-16 business days
International Price Program — Exports (IPP-Exports)	8,650 items	Voluntary	Monthly	Web	About 20 days
International Price Program — Imports (IPP-Imports)	13,400 items	Voluntary	Monthly	Web	About 20 days
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)	16,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	CATI, Web, E-mail, Fax	11-17 business days
Producer Price Index (PPI)	25,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	Web	14-15 business days

Chart 5. Establishment surveys: repricing/collection at final release

View data

Establishment survey features
Survey	Sample size	Mandatory/Voluntary	Frequency	Collection methods	Collection period
Consumer Price Index — Commodities & Services (CPI C&S)	138,000 price quotes	Voluntary	Monthly	Personal visit, Web, Phone	20-22 business days
Current Employment Statistics Survey (CES)	651,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	CATI, EDI, TDE, Web, Fax, Other	About 2 months
Employment Cost Index (ECI)	12,200 establishments	Voluntary	Quarterly	Web, Fax, Phone, Mail, E-mail	45 days
International Price Program — Exports (IPP-Exports)	8,650 items	Voluntary	Monthly	Web	4 months
International Price Program — Imports (IPP-Imports)	13,400 items	Voluntary	Monthly	Web	4 months
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)	16,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	CATI, Web, E-mail, Fax	About 45 days
Producer Price Index (PPI)	25,000 establishments	Voluntary	Monthly	Web	14-15 business days

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Household and establishment survey response rates

On This Page

Introduction

Note

Chart 1. Household surveys

Note

CE-Diary and CE-Interview

Telephone Point of Purchase Survey (TPOPS)

Chart 2. Establishment surveys: overall unit response rates

Notes

Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)

Consumer Price Index Commodities & Services (CPI C&S;) and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

Chart 3. Establishment surveys: initiation

Notes

Consumer Price Index — Commodities & Services (CPI C&S;)

Employment Cost Index (ECI)

International Price Program – Exports (IPP-Exports) and International Price Program – Imports (IPP-Imports)

Chart 4. Establishment surveys: repricing/collection at first preliminary release

Notes

General

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

Chart 5. Establishment surveys: repricing/collection at final release

Notes

Consumer Price Index Commodities & Services (CPI C&S;) and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)

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