Metadata-Version: 2.5
Name: bls-oews-mcp
Version: 1.0.3
Summary: MCP server for the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) API. Market wage data for IGCEs and price analysis.
Project-URL: Homepage, https://1102tools.com
Project-URL: Repository, https://github.com/1102tools/federal-contracting-mcps
Project-URL: Issues, https://github.com/1102tools/federal-contracting-mcps/issues
Author: James Jenrette / 1102tools
License: MIT
Keywords: 1102,bls,federal-contracts,igce,mcp,model-context-protocol,oews,wages
Classifier: Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable
Classifier: Intended Audience :: Developers
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14
Classifier: Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules
Requires-Python: >=3.10
Requires-Dist: httpx>=0.27.0
Requires-Dist: mcp<3,>=2.0.0
Description-Content-Type: text/markdown

# bls-oews-mcp

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.1102tools/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](#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](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](https://data.bls.gov/registrationEngine/).

## Installation

```bash
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)](https://1102tools.com/downloads/1102tools-universal-setup.pdf) has the exact file path and format for every platform, including the Codex TOML form.

Without key:
```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "bls-oews": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--refresh-package", "bls-oews-mcp", "--from", "bls-oews-mcp", "bls-oews-mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

With key (recommended):
```json
{
  "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"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

`FEDERAL_API_MIN_INTERVAL_SECONDS` is optional. When it is set and a real BLS
key is active, the server serializes upstream requests and waits that many
seconds after one request completes before the next starts. The 1102tools agent
packages set it to `3` as a defense-in-depth safeguard. Keyless BLS v1 traffic
and standalone installations remain unpaced unless separately controlled by
the client.

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.

## License

MIT
