A to Z Index | FAQs | About BLS | Contact Us Subscribe to E­mail Updates

Follow Us | What's New | Release Calendar | Site Map

Search BLS.gov

Economic News Release SHARE ON: ECT FONT SIZE: PRINT:

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation news release text

FOR RELEASE 10:00 A.M. (EST) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015 USDL‐15‐2329

Technical information: (202) 691‐6199 ncsinfo@bls.gov www.bls.gov/ect

Media contact: (202) 691‐5902 pressoffice@bls.gov

EMPLOYER COSTS FOR EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION – SEPTEMBER 2015

Employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers averaged $33.37 per hour worked in

September 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries averaged

$22.88 per hour worked and accounted for 68.6 percent of these costs, while benefits averaged $10.48

and accounted for the remaining 31.4 percent. Total employer compensation costs for private industry

workers averaged $31.53 per hour worked in September 2015.

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC), a product of the National Compensation Survey,

measures employer costs for wages and salaries, and employee benefits for nonfarm private and state and

local government workers.

Compensation costs in state and local government

State and local government employers spent an average of $44.66 per hour worked for employee

compensation in September 2015. Wages and salaries averaged $28.45 per hour and accounted for 63.7

percent of compensation costs, while benefits averaged $16.21 per hour worked and accounted for the

remaining 36.3 percent. Total compensation costs for management, professional, and related workers

averaged $54.02 per hour worked. This major occupational group includes teachers, averaging $60.92

per hour worked. Total compensation for sales and office workers averaged $30.83 per hour worked and

service workers averaged $34.02. (See chart 1 and table 4.)

For state and local government employees, employer costs for insurance benefits averaged $5.34 per

hour, or 12.0 percent of total compensation. The largest component of insurance costs in September 2015

was health insurance, which averaged $5.20, or 11.6 percent of total compensation. (See chart 2 and table

3.)

In September 2015, the average cost for retirement and savings benefits was $4.63 per hour worked in

state and local government, or 10.4 percent of total compensation. Included in this amount were

employer costs for defined benefit plans, which averaged $4.26 per hour (9.5 percent of total

compensation), and defined contribution plans, which averaged 37 cents (0.8 percent). (See chart 2 and

table 3.) Defined benefit plans specify a formula for determining future benefits, while defined

contribution plans specify employer contributions but do not guarantee the amount of future benefits.

Two components of benefit costs are paid leave and legally required benefits. Paid leave benefit costs

include vacation, holiday, sick leave, and personal leave. The average cost for paid leave was $3.24 per

hour worked for state and local government employees. Costs for legally required benefits, including

Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance (both state and federal), and workers’ compensation,

averaged $2.63 per hour worked. (See table 3.)

The National Compensation Survey also produces data on the percentage of state and local government

workers with access to and participation in employee benefit plans, including health and retirement and

savings plans. Detailed data on health and retirement plan provisions are available at www.bls.gov/ebs.

Benefit costs in private industry

Private industry employer costs for paid leave averaged $2.17 per hour worked or 6.9 percent of total

compensation, supplemental pay averaged $1.04 or 3.3 percent, insurance benefits averaged $2.59 or

8.2 percent, retirement and savings averaged $1.25 or 4.0 percent, and legally required benefits

averaged $2.51 per hour worked or 7.9 percent. (See table A and table 5.)

Home Subjects Data Tools Publications Economic Releases Students Beta
Table A. Relative importance of employer costs for employee compensation, September 2015

Compensation Civilian Private State and local

component workers industry government

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Wages and salaries 68.6% 69.7% 63.7%

Benefits 31.4 30.3 36.3

Paid leave 7.0 6.9 7.3

Supplemental pay 2.8 3.3 0.8

Insurance 8.9 8.2 12.0

Health benefits 8.5 7.7 11.6

Retirement and savings 5.2 4.0 10.4

Defined benefit 3.2 1.7 9.5

Defined contribution 2.0 2.2 0.8

Legally required 7.6 7.9 5.9

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Employer Costs for Employee Compensation for December 2015 is scheduled to be released on

Thursday, March 10, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (EST).

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation data on total compensation, wages and salaries, and

benefits in private industry are produced annually in the March reference period for 15 metropolitan

areas. Selected metropolitan area data were included in the March 2015 news release published in June

2015. For further information about metropolitan area ECEC estimates see: “BLS Introduces New

Employer Costs for Employee Compensation Data for Private Industry Workers in 15 Metropolitan

Areas,” at www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/cwc/bls‐introduces‐new‐employer‐costs‐for‐employee‐compensation‐

data‐for‐private‐industry‐workers‐in‐15‐metropolitan‐areas.pdf.

Supplemental tables with occupational, establishment size, and bargaining status series by industry group

are available at www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/sp/ecsuphst.pdf and www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/sp/ecsuptc36.pdf.

Relative standard errors for all cost estimates in the most recent news release and supplementary tables

are available at www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/sp/ececrse.pdf and www.bls.gov/ncs/ect/sp/ecsuprse.pdf.

Historical ECEC data are available in three listings, all available at www.bls.gov/ect/#tables. The first

historical listing covers data for the March reference periods from 1986 to 2001. These data use the

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and Census of Population occupational classification systems. A

second listing contains data for the March, June, September, and December reference periods from

March 2002 to December 2003. These data are also based on the SIC and Census of Population

occupational classification systems. The most recent listing includes data for March 2004 to the current

reference period. These are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) systems.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request—

Telephone: (202) 691‐5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877‐8339.

BLS news releases, including the ECEC, are available through an e‐mail subscription service at:

www.bls.gov/bls/list.htm.

Technical Note

Table 1. Civilian workers, by major occupational and industry group

Table 2. Civilian workers, by occupational and industry group

Table 3. State and local government, by major occupational and industry group

Table 4. State and local government, by occupational and industry group

Table 5. Private industry, by major occupational group and bargaining status

Table 6. Private industry, by major industry group

Table 7. Private industry, by census region and division, and area

Table 8. Private industry, by establishment employment size

Table 9. Private industry, goods­producing and service­providing industries, by occupational group

Table 10. Private industry, by industry group

Table 11. Private industry, by occupational group and full­time and part­time status

Table 12. Private industry, by industry group and full­time and part­time status

Table 13. Private industry, by major industry group and establishment employment size and bargaining status

Table 14. Private industry, health care and social assistance workers, by industry and occupational group
HTML version of the entire news release

The PDF version of the news release

Table of Contents

RECOMMEND THIS PAGE USING: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Freedom of Information Act | Privacy & Security Statement | Disclaimers | Customer Survey | Important Web Site Notices

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Office of Compensation and Working Conditions, PSB Suite 4175, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20212­0001

www.bls.gov/ECT | Telephone: 1­202­691­6199 | Contact ECT

Last Modified Date: December 09, 2015

TOOLS

Areas at a Glance

Industries at a Glance

Economic Releases

Databases & Tables

Maps

CALCULATORS

Inflation

Location Quotient

Injury And Illness

HELP

Help & Tutorials

FAQs

Glossary

About BLS

Contact Us

INFO

What's New

Careers @ BLS

Find It! DOL

Join our Mailing Lists

Linking & Copyright Info

RESOURCES

Inspector General (OIG)

Budget and Performance

No Fear Act

USA.gov

Benefits.gov

Disability.gov