bls-oews-mcp

MCP server for the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) API. Market wage data for IGCE development, price analysis, and labor market research.

Optional free API key for higher rate limits. Works without a key at reduced limits. MCP is an open standard: this server runs in any MCP client, not just Claude. Executed and verified on eleven platforms in August 2026 (see Configuration).

Tested and hardened through a 5-round retroactive live audit with a real BLS API key after the initial smoke test reported zero bugs. 60 regression tests covering 1 P0 usability-breaking bug (SOC format), 10 P1 silent-wrong-data bugs, 12 P1 response-shape crash paths, and 7 P2 validation gaps fixed. See TESTING.md for the full testing record.

What it does

Exposes the BLS OEWS API as 7 MCP tools:

Core

• get_wage_data - Wage statistics for an occupation by SOC code (national, state, or metro)
• compare_metros - Compare wages for one occupation across multiple metro areas
• compare_occupations - Compare wages across multiple occupations in one location

Workflow

• igce_wage_benchmark - Wage benchmarks with burdened rate estimates for IGCE development
• detect_latest_year - Check if newer OEWS data has been released

Reference

• list_common_soc_codes - SOC code mappings for federal IT/professional services
• list_common_metros - Metro area MSA codes

Authentication (optional)

Without a key, the server uses BLS v1 API (25 queries/day). With a key, it uses v2 (500 queries/day). Register free at data.bls.gov/registrationEngine.

Installation

uvx bls-oews-mcp

Configuration

MCP is an open standard, and this config was executed and verified in August 2026 on eleven platforms: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex Desktop and CLI, Gemini via Antigravity, GitHub Copilot CLI, DeepSeek Harness, Grok Build, Cursor, opencode, and LibreChat. Most clients take the same JSON block below and differ only in where the config file lives; the universal setup guide (PDF) has the exact file path and format for every platform, including the Codex TOML form.

Without key:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bls-oews": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--refresh-package", "bls-oews-mcp", "--from", "bls-oews-mcp", "bls-oews-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

With key (recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bls-oews": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--refresh-package", "bls-oews-mcp", "--from", "bls-oews-mcp", "bls-oews-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "BLS_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "FEDERAL_API_MIN_INTERVAL_SECONDS": "3"
      }
    }
  }
}

The server defaults FEDERAL_API_MIN_INTERVAL_SECONDS to 3 for keyed and keyless requests. The explicit value above documents the intended policy and can be changed when you have a documented reason. Multiple local processes using the same key share the gate.

The --refresh-package flag tells uv to check PyPI for a newer release each time your client launches the server, so fixes arrive automatically; without it, uv keeps serving whatever version it first cached. It adds a moment of network time at startup, so raise your platform's MCP startup timeout if it enforces a short one.

Restart the client and the tools appear.

Example prompts

• "What's the national median salary for Software Developers (SOC 151252)?"
• "Compare Systems Analyst wages in DC, Seattle, and Baltimore."
• "Build IGCE wage benchmarks for Program Manager, Software Developer, and Help Desk at the DC metro area with a 2.0x burden factor."
• "Is $195/hr reasonable for a Senior Software Developer? Show me the BLS market data."
• "What do Information Security Analysts earn in Virginia vs nationally?"

Important: base wages, not burdened rates

BLS OEWS data represents employer-reported base wages (no fringe, overhead, G&A, or profit). To estimate fully burdened hourly rates for an IGCE, apply a burden multiplier:

• 1.5x-1.7x: lean contractor
• 1.8x-2.2x: mid-range professional services
• 2.0x-2.5x: large contractor with clearance overhead
• 2.5x-3.0x: high-overhead (SCIF, deployed)

The igce_wage_benchmark tool applies the multiplier automatically.

Data year

OEWS publishes about a year in arrears, and the BLS API serves ONLY the latest survey year. The server defaults to 2025 (May 2025 estimates, released April 2026), which is currently the only year that returns data: older years are withdrawn and raise a clear error here. Omit the year argument in normal use, and call detect_latest_year to confirm the newest release.

Companion tools

Use alongside gsa-calc-mcp (GSA CALC+ ceiling rates) for complete pricing analysis. BLS provides what the market pays; CALC+ provides what GSA contractors charge. Together they form the IGCE pricing toolkit.

Request pacing

Every upstream request uses a provisional 3-second cross-process anti-burst interval by default. This protects keyed and keyless traffic launched by multiple local clients; it does not increase BLS daily quota or coordinate the same key on another computer. Override with FEDERAL_API_MIN_INTERVAL_SECONDS, use 0 to deliberately disable it, and use FEDERAL_API_PACING_DIR to relocate local pacing state.

License

MIT