The Current Population Survey (CPS) Outgoing Rotation Group (ORG) Earnings Files is the data source.  Sample includes employed wage and salary workers, ages 16 and over. Variable definitions are: Obs=CPS sample size, Employment=wage and salary employment, Members=employed workers who are union members, Covered=workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement, %Mem=percent of employed workers who are union members, and %Cov=percent of employed workers who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.

CMSAs at the top of the table and the MSAs and PMSAs in the remainder of the table are identified by Census FIPS codes included in the CPS. 

Metropolitan areas in the 1986-1994 tables are based on 1984 Census definitions, the 1995-2004/4 tables are based on 1993 Census definitions, May 2004 to October 2014 tables are based on 2003 Census definitions. During 2014, the Census changed FIPS codes for 17 CBSAs, dropped small 28 CBSAs from the survey in November 2014, and added 29 new CBSAs. Our 2014 estimates account for the code changes. Metropolitan areas in the CPS beginning August 2015 tables are based on 2013 Census definitions used in the CPS. The areas are not necessarily compatible with those from earlier years.                         

Because of the introduction of new area identifiers, partial years were used in some cases. The calculation of metropolitan figures for 1995 are based on the September 1995 through August 1996 CPS files. The calculation of metropolitan figures for 2004 are based on the May 2003 through April 2004 CPS files. The 2014 estimates are based on November 2013 through October 2014 CPS files. The 2015 estimates are based the August 2015 through July 2016 CPS files.

For five CMSAs during 1986-94, counts for the component PMSAs do not add to the CMSA total because the CPS failed to assign some households to PMSAs.  This causes employment estimates in the component PMSAs to be understated. CMSA employment counts are correct for these five urban areas during 1986-93, but are understated in 1994.  The five CMSAs are: Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, Providence, and St. Louis.