The Current Population Survey (Household Survey) is a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, persons not in the labor force, hours of work, earnings, and other demographic and labor force characteristics.
Numerous conceptual and methodological differences between the current population (household) and establishment surveys result in important distinctions in the employment estimates derived from the surveys. Among these are:
The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self- employed, unpaid family workers, and private household workers among the employed. These groups are excluded from the establishment survey.
The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the employed. The establishment survey does not.
The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and older. The establishment survey is not limited by age.
The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. In the establishment survey, employees working at more than one job and thus appearing on more than one payroll are counted separately for each appearance.
