National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) The National Longitudinal Surveys are a family of publicly available, nationally representative panel datasets that follow cohorts of U.S. individuals and families over decades. Created and maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the NLS program began in 1966 and now includes five core surveys NLSY79, NLSY97, Young Adult (YA), Youth 2009, and Youth 2012 plus supplemental cohorts such as the NLSY79 Children and Young Adult Cohorts. Purpose typical use cases The surveys were designed to support research on labor market dynamics, educational attainment, family formation, health, and demographic change. Scholars, policymakers, and program evaluators use the data to study employment trajectories, wage differentials, skill formation, intergenerational mobility, retirement behavior, and the impact of public policies (e.g., training programs, welfare reforms). Key features / unique aspects | Feature | Detail | |---------|--------| | Long term panel design respondents are interviewed every 1 2 years, providing up to 50 years of continuous history. | | Multiple cohorts original NLSY79 (born 1957 64), NLSY97 (born 1980 84), and youth cohorts starting in 1997, 2009, 2012 allow cross cohort comparisons. | | Rich content employment, earnings, industry/occupation, education, training, health, fertility, immigration, attitudes, and detailed time use diaries. | | Family linkage children of NLSY79 respondents are followed as a separate cohort, enabling intergenerational analyses. | | Public use microdata downloadable via the BLS website with detailed codebooks; weights are provided for representative inference. | | Geographic identifiers limited state/metro area data enable regional labor market studies while protecting confidentiality. | Overall, the NLS series is a cornerstone resource for longitudinal research on how individuals work, education, health, and family lives evolve across the life course.