Job counts (e.g. 2018 Jobs) are based on the most recent four quarters of data available from QCEW. For example, in May 2019, 2018Q3 was the most current QCEW data available from the BLS. Our 2019.2 datarun was based on this data in combination with the prior three quarters, so the “Current Year Jobs” are the 2018 Jobs.

Our methodology for current year job counts at any given time averages the last four quarters of QCEW to produce an annual picture. In the 2019.2 datarun, 2018 job counts were based on the average of the latest 4 quarters available from QCEW: 2018Q3, 2018Q2, 2018Q1, and 2017Q4. in the 2019.3 datarun, 2018 job counts were based on QCEW 2018Q4, 2018Q3, 2018Q2, and 2018Q1. In the 2019.4 datarun, 2019Q1 QCEW became available, making 2019 the current jobs year in the 2019.4 datarun.

Job counts for future years are projected based on past trends.

See this article for more on Lightcast’s Projections.