Nearly 2,000 U.S. Census Bureau field representatives will interview about 70,000 households this week for the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Prior to the survey, local households selected in the nationwide sample will receive a letter from Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. Some participants will be interviewed by telephone and others in person. Field representatives will carry official identification.

Every month, selected households will be asked questions about U.S. labor force such as employment status and hours worked. From the answers come the estimates of the unemployment rate, which is released monthly.

The Census Bureau’s monthly CPS, which dates from 1942, is the longest-running household survey in the country.