Query U.S. labor statistics directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics API
BLS MCP
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that wraps the Bureau of Labor Statistics Public Data API v2, letting Claude query U.S. labor statistics — employment, unemployment, wages, CPI, and more — directly from a conversation.
Disclaimer: This project is an independent, unofficial tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Labor, or any government agency. All data is fetched in real time from the publicly available
api.bls.govAPI. The accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of the data are the sole responsibility of that API. This tool is provided for informational and research purposes only. Nothing returned by this server constitutes legal, financial, economic, or policy advice. Use responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws.
API status: The BLS Public Data API is at v0.0.2-beta and subject to change without notice. Tool behaviour may change as the upstream API evolves.
Available Tools
| Tool | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
get_single_series |
GET /timeseries/data/{id} |
Retrieve data for a single time series for the past three years |
get_latest_series |
GET /timeseries/data/{id}?latest=true |
Retrieve the most recent data point for a series |
get_multiple_series |
POST /timeseries/data/ |
Retrieve data for one or more series with optional parameters |
get_popular_series |
GET /timeseries/popular |
List the 25 most popular BLS series, optionally filtered by survey |
get_all_surveys |
GET /surveys |
List all BLS surveys with abbreviations and names |
get_survey |
GET /surveys/{abbr} |
Retrieve metadata for a single BLS survey |
Tool Parameters
get_single_series / get_latest_series
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
series_id |
string | BLS series ID (uppercase, digits, _, -, #) |
get_multiple_series
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
series_ids |
string[] | Yes | Array of BLS series IDs (1–50) |
start_year |
string | No | Start year in YYYY format |
end_year |
string | No | End year in YYYY format |
catalog |
boolean | No | Include catalog data (requires API key) |
calculations |
boolean | No | Include net/percent change calculations (requires API key) |
annual_average |
boolean | No | Include annual averages (requires API key) |
aspects |
boolean | No | Include aspect data (requires API key) |
get_popular_series
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
survey |
string | No | 2-letter survey abbreviation (e.g. LA, CU, CE) |
get_survey
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
survey_abbreviation |
string | Yes | 2-letter survey abbreviation (e.g. TU, CU, LA) |
get_all_surveys — no parameters.
Series ID Format
BLS series IDs may contain uppercase letters, digits, underscores (_), dashes (-), and hashes (#). Lowercase letters and other special characters are not accepted. Examples:
LAUCN040010000000005— Local Area UnemploymentCUUR0000SA0— Consumer Price IndexCES0000000001— Current Employment StatisticsOEUN000000056--5747213213— Occupational Employment
Use get_popular_series or get_all_surveys to discover valid series IDs and survey abbreviations.
Registered vs. Unregistered Access
The BLS API works without an API key, but with reduced limits:
| Unregistered | Registered | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily query limit | 25 | 500 |
| Series per query | 25 | 50 |
| Year range | 10 years | 20 years |
| Optional parameters | No | catalog, calculations, annual averages, aspects |
Register for a free API key at https://data.bls.gov/registrationEngine/ and pass it via the BLS_API_KEY environment variable.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or later
- npm 9 or later
- Claude Desktop (or any MCP-compatible client)
Installation
git clone https://github.com/larasrinath/bls_mcp.git
cd bls_mcp
npm install
npm run build
The compiled server lands in ./dist/index.js.
Claude Desktop Configuration
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Add the following block (adjust the path to match your machine):
{
"mcpServers": {
"bls": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/bls_mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"BLS_API_KEY": "your-registration-key-here"
}
}
}
}
The env block is optional — omit it to use the API without a key (lower rate limits apply).
macOS/Linux example:
"args": ["/Users/yourna
Tools (6)
get_single_seriesRetrieve data for a single time series for the past three yearsget_latest_seriesRetrieve the most recent data point for a seriesget_multiple_seriesRetrieve data for one or more series with optional parametersget_popular_seriesList the 25 most popular BLS series, optionally filtered by surveyget_all_surveysList all BLS surveys with abbreviations and namesget_surveyRetrieve metadata for a single BLS surveyEnvironment Variables
BLS_API_KEYAPI key for higher rate limits and advanced parametersConfiguration
{"mcpServers": {"bls": {"command": "node", "args": ["/absolute/path/to/bls_mcp/dist/index.js"], "env": {"BLS_API_KEY": "your-registration-key-here"}}}}