LaborBrief
Methods library

Guides for reading labor data

Repeatable workflows for wage comparisons, SOC matching, state rules, unemployment provisions, and source dates.

Abstract method grid with ordered data blocks in the LaborBrief palette

These guides are designed around common interpretation failures: mixing mean and median, treating an employment estimate as a vacancy count, filling a suppressed cell, comparing different reference periods, or using a legal summary without checking coverage and effective date.

Each guide begins with a narrow question, identifies the needed fields, and ends with a limitation statement. It links to BLS or DOL material so readers can reproduce the path rather than accept an unexplained number.

Research methodHow to read OEWS wage data

Separate the occupation, geography, reference period, and wage measure before comparing numbers.

Research methodMedian vs. mean wage

Use the median for the midpoint worker and the mean for the arithmetic average influenced by high and low values.

Research methodUnderstanding wage percentiles

Read the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles as points in an estimated wage distribution.

Research methodHow to use location quotient

Treat location quotient as a concentration measure: values above one indicate a larger local employment share than the national share.

Research methodComparing occupation wages by state

Keep the occupation code and data period fixed, then compare state means and medians with national benchmarks.

Research methodInterpreting employment estimates

Use estimated employment to understand scale while remembering OEWS covers wage and salary employment rather than every worker arrangement.

Research methodWhy BLS suppresses some estimates

Treat a missing or suppressed cell as a quality safeguard, not a zero and not an invitation to estimate the value.

Research methodHourly vs. annual wage estimates

Check whether BLS reports an hourly or annual measure and whether the occupation is normally paid year-round.

Research methodHow to verify a minimum wage

Start with the work location, effective date, employer coverage, occupation, and any local rule.

Research methodChecking overtime coverage

Separate employee status, enterprise or individual coverage, exemption duties, salary basis, and hours worked.

Research methodDocumenting a wage concern

Build a contemporaneous record of schedules, hours, rates, pay statements, duties, and communications.

Research methodComparing unemployment benefits

Compare eligibility formula, weekly benefit range, earnings disregard, and potential duration using the same effective-date source.

Research methodPreparing to file an unemployment claim

Use the state agency that administers the claim and gather identity, employer, wage, and separation information.

Research methodHow to research a state labor rule

Begin with a federal baseline, then use the work state’s labor department and statutory source for differences.

Research methodA disciplined way to compare job markets

Combine employment scale, concentration, mean pay, median pay, and distribution rather than ranking by one number.

Research methodFinding the right SOC code

Match actual tasks and occupation definitions before selecting the closest detailed SOC code.

Research methodA practical pay-stub audit

Reconcile hours, rate, overtime, additions, deductions, and year-to-date totals against the employer’s stated pay period.

Research methodWhy data periods and verification dates matter

Distinguish the period measured, publication date, legal effective date, and the date a page was checked.

Research methodUsing public labor data responsibly

Preserve source definitions, suppression marks, units, and uncertainty when turning tables into comparisons.

Research methodBuilding a defensible wage benchmark

Use the same occupation, geography, period, and statistic, then document why the benchmark fits the decision.

For statistical work, begin with reading OEWS, mean and median, location quotient, and suppression. For rules, use state-law research and minimum-wage verification.

The methods do not generate legal conclusions, salary promises, or job recommendations. They structure a source check. Pair them with the occupation data, state references, worker-rights hub, and source inventory.

Primary sources