Choose Narwhal API when
You need Narwhal's supported indicators across countries alongside FX, commodities, public holidays, or economic release dates, through JSON REST and a hosted MCP server with one key and quota.
Narwhal API vs BLS API
BLS is the primary source for its US labour and price statistics. Its API covers the full range of published BLS survey data. Narwhal uses three BLS series alongside economics for many countries, FX, commodities, public holidays, and economic release dates.
Decision
Choose the BLS API for US labour and price research or any BLS series beyond the three Narwhal provides. Choose Narwhal when those series meet your needs and you also need economics for other countries, FX, commodities, public holidays, or hosted MCP access under one key and quota.
Choose the alternative when
You need BLS data directly from its primary source, especially any series beyond CPI-U all items, unemployment rate, and labour force participation.
Evidence by requirement
Narwhal is far narrower than BLS for US labour and price statistics. Its BLS sources are CUUR0000SA0 (CPI-U, all items, not seasonally adjusted), LNS14000000 (unemployment rate), and LNS11300000 (labour force participation).
| Requirement | Narwhal API | BLS Public Data API |
|---|---|---|
| Data coverage | Economics for many countries, FX, commodities, public holidays, and scheduled BLS CPI and Employment Situation release dates. | The full range of published BLS survey data, with much broader coverage of US labour and price statistics. |
| Series selection | Three BLS series: CPI-U all items, unemployment rate, and labour force participation. | Requests require BLS series IDs. BLS does not provide a catalogue of series IDs. |
| Calculations | US CPI month-over-month, year-over-year, and year-to-date changes are derived from the CPI-U all-items index, not seasonally adjusted. | Version 2.0 adds net and percent changes, optional annual averages, and series catalog descriptions. |
| Registration and access | One API key and quota across JSON REST and a hosted MCP server. | Version 2.0 requires free registration with email and organization, renewed annually. Version 1.0 requires no registration. |
| Query limits | Economics, FX, commodities, and public holidays share one quota. | v2: 500 queries/day, 50 series/query, 20 years/query. v1: 25 queries/day, 25 series/query, 10 years/query. Both: 50 requests per 10 seconds. |
Sources and review date
The comparison uses Narwhal's current public contract and the following first-party competitor pages.
Reviewed: