Good Policy Starts with Good Data.
Advocating for strong, transparent, and well-supported statistics is essential when that data underpins everything from policy decisions to paychecks. Good data is not just a technical necessity, it is a public good, and protecting it means defending the truth itself.
Our Approach
The Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics aims to protect the honest work of economic statistical agencies and keep politics out of research because data is real people.
We focus on clarity, trust, and public value.
Explore Friends of BLS efforts to support economic statistics and strengthen the institutions that produce them.
Advocacy for Public Data
Our work is based in Washington, D.C.—a hub for convening, collaboration, and public service. Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics advances trusted economic statistics through public lectures, seminars, roundtables, and public education, alongside evidence-based advocacy in the nation’s capital.
Meet the Co-Chairs
Erica Groshen served as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2013 to 2017. She is currently a Senior Visiting Scholar at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Erica Groshen CO-CHAIR
Bill Beach served as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2019 to 2023, is currently the Senior Fellow in Economics at the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) and the Coffin Fellow at the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. He also serves on the UKG Workforce Institute Advisory Board.
William Beach
CO-CHAIR
Paul Schroeder
CO-CHAIR
Paul Schroeder is the Executive Director of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS).
Meet the Steering Committee
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Tom Beers
National Association for Business Economics
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Mary Jo Mitchell
Population Association of America/Association of Population Centers
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Demetra Nightingale
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Steve Pierson
American Statistical Association
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Ken Poole
Center For Regional Economic Competitiveness
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Aaron Sojourner
Upjohn Institute
Join us.
Our Story
In 2014, a handful of data-loving organizations—including the American Statistical Association (AmStat), the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC), COPAFS, the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), and the Population Association of America—teamed up (with other partners) to create Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The idea is simple: build a friendly, public-facing network of people who use BLS numbers every day including workers, researchers, journalists, teachers, businesses, and policy folks, and help more people understand why those numbers matter. The group is about the overall health and value of the BLS; members can still disagree about specific programs, but Friends of BLS only puts its name on efforts that reflect the group’s shared, consensus view of the public good.
What does that look like in practice? Friends of BLS acts like a “community hub” for BLS data users: sharing ideas, spreading information, and helping connect people who rely on the same statistics. The group also aims to be a ready bench of people and organizations who can support educational events, explain the usefulness of BLS programs to the public and decision-makers, and speak up about the agency’s needs and opportunities. And one important footnote: Friends of BLS is fully independent—it is not sanctioned by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and does not receive support from the BLS or its leadership.
