For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, July 24, 2015 USDL-15-1432
Technical information: (202) 691-6199 ncsinfo@bls.gov www.bls.gov/ebs
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 pressoffice@bls.gov
(NOTE: Some estimates that include access to paid sick leave benefits were corrected in
the BLS database on November 6, 2017. For additional information about this correction,
see www.bls.gov/bls/errata/ebs-errata-07212017.htm.)
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES - MARCH 2015
Retirement benefits were available to 66 percent of private industry workers in the United States in
March 2015, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employer-provided retirement
benefits were available to 31 percent of private industry workers in the lowest wage category (the 10th
percentile). By contrast 88 percent of workers in the highest wage category (the 90th percentile) had
access to retirement benefits. In state and local government, 61 percent of workers in the lowest wage
category had access to retirement benefits, compared with 98 percent of workers in the highest wage
category. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
The share of premiums workers were required to pay for their medical coverage varied by bargaining
status. Private industry nonunion workers were responsible for 23 percent of the total single coverage
medical premium, whereas the share of premiums for union workers was 13 percent. The share of
premiums for family coverage was 35 percent for nonunion workers and 16 percent for union workers.
(See chart 2 and tables 3 and 4.)
These data are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which provides comprehensive
measures of compensation cost levels and trends as well as incidence and provisions of employee
benefit plans.
Additional findings include:
* Full-time workers in state and local government had high rates of access to major benefits: 99
percent had access to retirement and medical care benefits, and 98 percent to paid sick leave. For
part-time workers, 39 percent had access to retirement benefits, 24 percent to medical care
benefits, and 42 percent to paid sick leave. (See tables 1, 2, and 6.)
* Paid holidays were provided to 90 percent of full-time and 37 percent of part-time workers in
private industry. In state and local government, 74 percent of full-time workers and 30
percent of part-time workers had access. (See table 6 and Technical Note.)
* Access to benefits differed among some occupational groups. For private industry, 87 percent
of workers in management, professional, and related occupations had access to medical care,
compared with 41 percent in service occupations. In state and local government, the
corresponding figures were 89 percent and 82 percent, respectively. (See table 2.)
* For civilian workers, access rates to medical care ranged from 53 percent for the smallest
establishments (those with fewer than 50 workers) to 90 percent for the largest establishments
(those employing 500 workers or more). Access to retirement benefits ranged by establishment
size from 46 percent to 91 percent. (See tables 1 and 2.)
* Access to medical care benefits for private industry workers was 86 percent in goods-
producing industries, compared with 66 percent for workers in service-providing industries. The
employee share of family medical premiums was 27 percent for workers in goods-producing
industries and 33 percent for workers in service-providing industries. (See tables 2 and 4.)
More information can be obtained by calling (202) 691-6199, sending e-mail to ncsinfo@bls.gov, or
by visiting www.bls.gov/ebs.
NOTE
More information will be published in September 2015 on the incidence and provisions of health care
benefits, retirement benefits, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability benefits, paid holidays
and vacations, and other selected benefits. For the latest benefit publications see www.bls.gov/ebs.
TECHNICAL NOTE
Data in this release are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), conducted by the U.S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This release contains March 2015 data on
civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers in the United States. Excluded are
federal government workers, the military, agricultural workers, private household workers, and the
self-employed. This news release provides data on the incidence of (access to and participation in)
selected benefits and the share of premiums paid by employers and employees for medical care.
Calculation details
-------------------
Average hourly earnings from sampled occupations within an establishment were used to produce
estimates for worker groups within six earnings categories: the lowest 10 percent, the lowest 25
percent, the second 25 percent, the third 25 percent, the highest 25 percent, and the highest 10 percent.
The categories are based on unpublished March 2015 wages and salaries from the Employer Costs for
Employee Compensation.
The percentiles were computed using earnings and scheduled hours of work reported for individual
workers in sampled establishment jobs. Establishments in the survey are asked to report only
individual worker earnings for each sampled job. For the calculation of the hourly percentile values,
the individual worker hourly earnings are weighted and arrayed from lowest to highest. The values
corresponding to the percentiles are:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Characteristics Hourly wage percentiles
10 25 50 (median) 75 90
Civilian workers $9.09 $12.02 $18.18 $29.10 $44.36
Private industry workers 9.00 11.64 17.40 27.89 43.27
State and local government 12.40 16.35 23.76 35.56 49.40
________________________________________________________________________________________________
The lowest 10-percent and 25-percent wage categories include those occupations with an average
hourly wage less than the 10th percentile value and 25th percentile value, respectively. The second 25-
percent category includes those occupations that earn at or above the 25th percentile value but less than
the 50th percentile value. The third 25-percent category includes those occupations that earn at or
above the 50th percentile value but less than the 75th percentile value. Finally, the highest 25- and 10-
percent wage categories include those occupations with an average wage value greater than or equal to
the 75th and 90th percentile value, respectively.
(Note: Individual workers can fall into an earnings category different from the average for the
occupation into which they are classified because average hourly earnings for the occupation are used
to produce the benefit estimates.)
The tables on employer and employee medical premiums (tables 3 and 4) include participants in all
medical plans, with calculations for both single and family coverage. The calculations are not based on
actual decisions regarding medical coverage made by employees within the occupations. Rather, the
premium calculations are based on the assumption that all employees in the occupation can opt for
either single or family coverage.
Medical care
------------
Medical care plans provide services or payments for services rendered in the hospital or by a qualified
medical care provider.
Retirement plans
----------------
Differences in retirement plan participation are influenced by type of plan offered. In defined benefit
plans participation is often mandatory, after meeting eligibility requirements, while participation in
defined contribution plans is often voluntary.
Take-up rates
-------------
Take-up rates are the percentage of workers with access to a plan who participate in the plan. They are
computed by using the number of workers participating in a plan divided by the number of workers
with access to the plan, multiplied by 100, and rounded to the nearest one percent. Since the
computation of take-up rates is based on the number of workers collected rather than rounded
percentage estimates, the take-up rates in the tables may not equal the ratio of participation to access
estimates.
Comparing private and public sector data
----------------------------------------
Incidence of employee benefits in state and local government should not be directly compared to
private industry. Differences between these sectors stem from factors such as variation in work
activities and occupational structures. Manufacturing and sales, for example, make up a large part of
private industry work activities but are rare in state and local government. Professional and
administrative support occupations (including teachers) account for two-thirds of the state and local
government workforce, compared with one-half of private industry.
Leave benefits for teachers
---------------------------
Primary, secondary, and special education teachers typically have a work schedule of 37 or 38 weeks
per year. Because of this work schedule, they are generally not offered vacation or holidays. In many
cases, the time off during winter and spring breaks during the school year are not considered vacation
days for the purposes of this survey.
Sample size
-----------
Data for the March 2015 reference period were collected from a probability sample of about 8,600
establishments in private industry and approximately 1,500 establishments in state and local
government.
Survey scope
------------
The March 2015 NCS benefits survey represented approximately 131 million civilian workers; of this
number, about 112 million were private industry workers and nearly 19 million were state and local
government workers.
Obtaining information
---------------------
For research articles on employee benefits, see the Monthly Labor Review at
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/home.htm and Beyond the Numbers: Pay and Benefits at
www.bls.gov/opub/btn. For further technical information, see Chapter 8, "National Compensation
Measures," of the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch8.pdf.
Table 1. Retirement benefits:(1) Access, participation, and take-up rates,(2) National Compensation Survey, March
2015
(All workers = 100 percent)
Civilian(3) Private industry State and local government
Characteristics
Access Particip- Take-up Access Particip- Take-up Access Particip- Take-up
ation rate ation rate ation rate
All workers.............. 69 53 77 66 49 74 90 81 90
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 83 71 85 80 67 84 92 82 89
Management, business,
and financial.......... 85 75 88 84 74 88 – – –
Professional and
related................ 82 69 84 78 63 81 92 81 89
Teachers............. 84 74 87 – – – 91 81 89
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 95 84 88 – – – 99 89 90
Registered nurses.... 83 68 82 – – – – – –
Service.................. 46 30 64 39 22 55 85 77 91
Protective service..... 79 62 79 62 31 50 92 84 92
Sales and office......... 72 52 72 70 49 70 89 81 91
Sales and related...... 68 39 57 68 38 57 – – –
Office and
administrative support 74 60 80 72 56 78 90 82 91
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 69 56 81 66 52 80 96 88 92
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 64 52 82 59 47 79 – – –
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 73 59 81 71 57 80 – – –
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 72 54 76 71 53 75 85 78 91
Production............. 75 59 79 75 59 78 – – –
Transportation and
material moving........ 68 50 73 67 48 71 – – –
Full time................ 80 64 81 76 59 78 99 89 90
Part time................ 38 20 54 37 19 51 39 33 85
Union.................... 94 85 90 92 82 90 97 88 90
Nonunion................. 65 48 74 63 46 72 84 75 90
Average wage within the
following categories:(4)
Lowest 25 percent...... 42 22 52 40 19 48 75 67 90
Lowest 10 percent.... 31 12 40 31 12 39 61 54 89
Second 25 percent...... 71 53 75 67 47 70 93 83 89
Third 25 percent....... 81 68 83 78 63 81 94 84 89
Highest 25 perecent.... 89 79 88 86 75 88 98 89 91
Highest 10 percent... 90 80 90 88 78 89 98 89 91
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 75 61 82 75 61 81 – – –
Service-providing
industries............... 68 52 76 64 46 72 90 81 90
Education and health
services............... 77 63 82 69 53 77 91 80 88
Educational services 86 76 88 69 59 86 91 81 89
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 89 80 89 – – – 92 82 89
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 87 76 87 87 76 88 87 76 87
Health care and
social assistance.... 71 54 76 69 52 75 89 77 87
Hospitals.......... 91 78 85 – – – 95 81 85
Public administration.. 91 84 92 – – – 91 84 92
1 to 99 workers.......... 52 36 70 51 35 69 78 70 89
1 to 49 workers........ 46 33 71 46 32 70 70 63 90
50 to 99 workers....... 67 46 69 66 44 67 91 80 89
100 workers or more...... 86 69 81 84 65 78 91 82 90
100 to 499 workers..... 81 61 75 80 58 72 88 80 91
500 workers or more.... 91 79 87 89 76 85 93 83 89
Geographic areas
Northeast................ 70 57 80 67 53 78 91 81 89
New England............ 71 56 79 69 52 76 86 78 91
Middle Atlantic........ 70 57 81 67 53 79 93 82 89
South.................... 69 52 75 66 46 71 91 81 89
South Atlantic......... 70 53 75 67 48 72 91 80 88
East South Central..... 72 52 72 67 45 67 93 81 87
West South Central..... 67 50 75 63 44 70 90 83 92
Midwest.................. 73 57 78 70 53 76 87 78 90
East North Central..... 71 56 78 69 53 76 85 78 92
West North Central..... 75 58 78 73 55 75 91 79 87
West..................... 64 50 77 60 44 74 90 82 91
Mountain............... 65 46 71 61 42 68 88 76 86
Pacific................ 64 51 80 59 45 76 91 85 93
1 Includes defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution retirement plans. Workers are considered as
having access or as participating if they have access to or are participating in at least one of these plan types.
2 The take-up rate is an estimate of the percentage of workers with access to a plan who participate in the plan,
rounded for presentation. See Technical Note for more details.
3 Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public
sector, except the federal government. See Technical Note for further explanation.
4 Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories based on the average wage for the occupation, which
may include workers with earnings both above and below the threshold. The categories were formed using percentile
estimates generated using ECEC data for March 2015.
Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of
major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at
www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20142015.htm.
Table 2. Medical care benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,(1) National Compensation Survey, March
2015
(All workers = 100 percent)
Civilian(2) Private industry State and local government
Characteristics
Access Particip- Take-up Access Particip- Take-up Access Particip- Take-up
ation rate ation rate ation rate
All workers.............. 72 53 74 69 50 72 87 73 83
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 87 68 78 87 66 76 89 74 82
Management, business,
and financial.......... 94 72 76 95 71 75 – – –
Professional and
related................ 85 66 78 83 63 76 89 73 82
Teachers............. 83 67 80 – – – 88 72 82
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 97 77 80 – – – 98 79 81
Registered nurses.... 85 61 72 – – – – – –
Service.................. 46 31 66 41 24 60 82 69 85
Protective service..... 70 58 83 42 28 68 89 78 88
Sales and office......... 71 51 73 69 49 71 88 74 84
Sales and related...... 59 40 69 59 40 69 – – –
Office and
administrative support 78 58 74 77 56 73 88 74 84
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 78 62 80 76 60 79 94 81 85
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 73 61 83 71 58 82 – – –
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 81 63 78 80 62 77 – – –
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 76 56 74 76 56 73 82 70 85
Production............. 83 62 74 83 62 74 – – –
Transportation and
material moving........ 70 51 72 69 50 71 – – –
Full time................ 88 67 76 86 64 74 99 83 84
Part time................ 22 13 59 21 12 57 24 18 73
Union.................... 95 79 84 95 79 83 95 80 84
Nonunion................. 68 49 72 67 47 71 81 67 83
Average wage within the
following categories:(3)
Lowest 25 percent...... 37 22 60 34 20 57 70 56 80
Lowest 10 percent.... 23 12 51 23 11 50 54 43 80
Second 25 percent...... 77 56 73 75 52 70 91 78 85
Third 25 percent....... 88 69 78 86 65 76 93 78 84
Highest 25 perecent.... 94 74 79 93 72 78 97 81 84
Highest 10 percent... 94 75 80 94 74 79 97 82 85
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 86 67 78 86 67 78 – – –
Service-providing
industries............... 70 51 74 66 47 71 87 73 83
Education and health
services............... 80 59 75 75 52 70 88 72 81
Educational services 85 68 80 75 56 75 88 72 81
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 87 69 79 – – – 88 70 80
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 87 72 83 89 67 76 86 75 87
Health care and
social assistance.... 76 54 70 75 52 69 88 72 81
Hospitals.......... 91 68 75 – – – 94 78 83
Public administration.. 88 77 87 – – – 88 77 87
1 to 99 workers.......... 58 41 71 57 40 71 75 63 83
1 to 49 workers........ 53 38 72 53 38 71 66 56 84
50 to 99 workers....... 71 50 71 70 49 70 89 73 82
100 workers or more...... 85 65 76 84 62 74 89 74 83
100 to 499 workers..... 81 60 73 81 58 72 85 72 84
500 workers or more.... 90 71 79 89 68 76 91 75 83
Geographic areas
Northeast................ 72 54 75 70 50 72 87 76 87
New England............ 71 50 70 69 46 68 86 72 84
Middle Atlantic........ 73 55 76 70 52 74 88 78 88
South.................... 73 53 73 70 49 71 90 74 82
South Atlantic......... 73 52 72 70 49 71 89 70 78
East South Central..... 75 56 75 70 49 70 93 83 90
West South Central..... 72 53 73 69 49 71 91 75 83
Midwest.................. 72 53 73 71 51 72 82 66 80
East North Central..... 73 53 73 72 52 72 80 64 80
West North Central..... 72 53 73 69 49 71 86 70 81
West..................... 70 54 78 67 51 76 88 75 85
Mountain............... 68 52 77 66 49 75 87 73 84
Pacific................ 71 55 78 67 52 76 88 75 86
1 The take-up rate is an estimate of the percentage of workers with access to a plan who participate in the plan,
rounded for presentation. See Technical Note for more details.
2 Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public
sector, except the federal government. See Technical Note for further explanation.
3 Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories based on the average wage for the occupation, which
may include workers with earnings both above and below the threshold. The categories were formed using percentile
estimates generated using ECEC data for March 2015.
Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of
major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at
www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20142015.htm.
Table 3. Medical plans: Share of premiums paid by employer and employee for single
coverage, National Compensation Survey, March 2015
(In percent)
Civilian(1) Private industry State and local
government
Characteristics
Employer Employee Employer Employee Employer Employee
share of share of share of share of share of share of
premium premium premium premium premium premium
All workers participating
in single coverage
medical plans............ 80 20 78 22 87 13
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 82 18 80 20 87 13
Management, business,
and financial.......... 80 20 79 21 – –
Professional and
related................ 83 17 81 19 87 13
Teachers............. 87 13 – – 88 12
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 87 13 – – 87 13
Registered nurses.... 80 20 – – – –
Service.................. 79 21 75 25 87 13
Protective service..... 85 15 76 24 87 13
Sales and office......... 78 22 77 23 88 12
Sales and related...... 74 26 73 27 – –
Office and
administrative support 80 20 79 21 88 12
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 80 20 79 21 87 13
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 83 17 82 18 – –
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 78 22 77 23 – –
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 80 20 79 21 87 13
Production............. 79 21 79 21 – –
Transportation and
material moving........ 80 20 80 20 – –
Full time................ 81 19 79 21 88 12
Part time................ 74 26 73 27 82 18
Union.................... 87 13 87 13 87 13
Nonunion................. 78 22 77 23 88 12
Average wage within the
following categories:(2)
Lowest 25 percent...... 75 25 73 27 87 13
Lowest 10 percent.... 71 29 70 30 88 12
Second 25 percent...... 79 21 77 23 88 12
Third 25 percent....... 81 19 79 21 88 12
Highest 25 perecent.... 82 18 81 19 86 14
Highest 10 percent... 82 18 80 20 88 12
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 80 20 80 20 – –
Service-providing
industries............... 80 20 78 22 87 13
Education and health
services............... 83 17 80 20 87 13
Educational services 86 14 81 19 87 13
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 86 14 – – 87 13
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 86 14 80 20 89 11
Health care and
social assistance.... 81 19 80 20 87 13
Hospitals.......... 82 18 – – 88 12
Public administration.. 88 12 – – 88 12
1 to 99 workers.......... 79 21 78 22 91 9
1 to 49 workers........ 79 21 78 22 91 9
50 to 99 workers....... 78 22 77 23 91 9
100 workers or more...... 81 19 79 21 87 13
100 to 499 workers..... 79 21 78 22 87 13
500 workers or more.... 83 17 80 20 87 13
Geographic areas
Northeast................ 82 18 80 20 87 13
New England............ 78 22 77 23 84 16
Middle Atlantic........ 83 17 82 18 89 11
South.................... 79 21 77 23 88 12
South Atlantic......... 79 21 77 23 88 12
East South Central..... 80 20 76 24 88 12
West South Central..... 80 20 78 22 87 13
Midwest.................. 79 21 77 23 88 12
East North Central..... 79 21 78 22 86 14
West North Central..... 79 21 75 25 91 9
West..................... 82 18 81 19 86 14
Mountain............... 81 19 80 20 89 11
Pacific................ 82 18 81 19 85 15
1 Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private
households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal government. See
Technical Note for further explanation.
2 Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories based on the average
wage for the occupation, which may include workers with earnings both above and below
the threshold. The categories were formed using percentile estimates generated using
ECEC data for March 2015.
Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication
criteria. For definitions of major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the
"Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20142015.htm.
Table 4. Medical plans: Share of premiums paid by employer and employee for family
coverage, National Compensation Survey, March 2015
(In percent)
Civilian(1) Private industry State and local
government
Characteristics
Employer Employee Employer Employee Employer Employee
share of share of share of share of share of share of
premium premium premium premium premium premium
All workers participating
in family coverage
medical plans............ 69 31 68 32 71 29
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 70 30 70 30 70 30
Management, business,
and financial.......... 70 30 69 31 – –
Professional and
related................ 70 30 70 30 69 31
Teachers............. 68 32 – – 68 32
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 67 33 – – 66 34
Registered nurses.... 72 28 – – – –
Service.................. 65 35 62 38 73 27
Protective service..... 75 25 64 36 78 22
Sales and office......... 66 34 65 35 73 27
Sales and related...... 62 38 62 38 – –
Office and
administrative support 68 32 67 33 73 27
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 68 32 68 32 74 26
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 71 29 71 29 – –
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 66 34 65 35 – –
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 72 28 72 28 72 28
Production............. 73 27 73 27 – –
Transportation and
material moving........ 72 28 72 28 – –
Full time................ 69 31 68 32 71 29
Part time................ 63 37 63 37 69 31
Union.................... 81 19 84 16 78 22
Nonunion................. 65 35 65 35 64 36
Average wage within the
following categories:(2)
Lowest 25 percent...... 59 41 59 41 64 36
Lowest 10 percent.... 57 43 57 43 56 44
Second 25 percent...... 66 34 65 35 73 27
Third 25 percent....... 70 30 69 31 71 29
Highest 25 perecent.... 73 27 72 28 74 26
Highest 10 percent... 74 26 72 28 78 22
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 73 27 73 27 – –
Service-providing
industries............... 68 32 67 33 71 29
Education and health
services............... 67 33 67 33 67 33
Educational services 66 34 66 34 66 34
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 64 36 – – 64 36
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 72 28 69 31 73 27
Health care and
social assistance.... 68 32 67 33 71 29
Hospitals.......... 73 27 – – 71 29
Public administration.. 77 23 – – 77 23
1 to 99 workers.......... 63 37 62 38 72 28
1 to 49 workers........ 63 37 62 38 75 25
50 to 99 workers....... 63 37 62 38 69 31
100 workers or more...... 72 28 72 28 71 29
100 to 499 workers..... 69 31 69 31 69 31
500 workers or more.... 74 26 76 24 72 28
Geographic areas
Northeast................ 76 24 74 26 85 15
New England............ 74 26 72 28 79 21
Middle Atlantic........ 77 23 75 25 86 14
South.................... 63 37 63 37 60 40
South Atlantic......... 64 36 64 36 68 32
East South Central..... 62 38 65 35 54 46
West South Central..... 61 39 62 38 54 46
Midwest.................. 70 30 69 31 77 23
East North Central..... 72 28 71 29 81 19
West North Central..... 67 33 66 34 71 29
West..................... 69 31 69 31 72 28
Mountain............... 67 33 68 32 65 35
Pacific................ 70 30 69 31 75 25
1 Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private
households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal government. See
Technical Note for further explanation.
2 Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories based on the average
wage for the occupation, which may include workers with earnings both above and below
the threshold. The categories were formed using percentile estimates generated using
ECEC data for March 2015.
Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication
criteria. For definitions of major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the
"Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20142015.htm.
Table 5. Life insurance benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,(1) National Compensation Survey, March
2015
(All workers = 100 percent)
Civilian(2) Private industry State and local government
Characteristics
Access Particip- Take-up Access Particip- Take-up Access Particip- Take-up
ation rate ation rate ation rate
All workers.............. 60 59 97 57 56 97 80 78 98
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 78 77 99 77 77 99 80 78 97
Management, business,
and financial.......... 85 84 99 85 85 99 – – –
Professional and
related................ 75 74 98 73 72 99 79 77 97
Teachers............. 72 71 98 – – – 78 76 97
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 82 81 98 – – – 85 84 98
Registered nurses.... 77 76 99 – – – – – –
Service.................. 35 33 95 28 26 93 77 75 98
Protective service..... 71 68 96 50 45 89 86 84 98
Sales and office......... 58 56 98 56 54 98 80 78 98
Sales and related...... 45 43 96 44 43 96 – – –
Office and
administrative support 65 64 98 63 62 98 80 79 98
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 60 58 97 56 55 97 92 91 99
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 53 52 98 48 47 98 – – –
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 66 64 97 64 62 97 – – –
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 66 63 96 65 63 96 77 76 98
Production............. 72 70 97 71 69 97 – – –
Transportation and
material moving........ 60 57 95 59 56 95 – – –
Full time................ 75 74 98 72 71 98 90 88 98
Part time................ 14 12 89 13 11 88 23 21 95
Union.................... 86 84 98 86 83 97 86 85 98
Nonunion................. 56 55 97 54 53 98 74 72 97
Average wage within the
following categories:(3)
Lowest 25 percent...... 25 23 92 22 20 91 63 61 97
Lowest 10 percent.... 13 11 89 12 11 88 48 46 96
Second 25 percent...... 63 62 98 59 57 97 84 82 98
Third 25 percent....... 76 74 98 72 71 98 83 82 98
Highest 25 perecent.... 85 85 99 84 84 99 89 87 97
Highest 10 percent... 89 88 99 89 88 99 89 86 96
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 71 70 98 71 70 98 – – –
Service-providing
industries............... 58 57 97 54 53 97 80 78 98
Education and health
services............... 69 67 98 63 62 99 79 77 97
Educational services 76 74 98 64 64 100 79 77 97
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 76 74 98 – – – 78 76 98
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 84 81 97 86 85 99 83 79 95
Health care and
social assistance.... 64 63 98 62 62 99 80 77 96
Hospitals.......... 88 87 99 – – – 89 86 97
Public administration.. 83 81 98 – – – 83 81 98
1 to 99 workers.......... 41 40 97 40 39 96 63 61 97
1 to 49 workers........ 36 35 97 35 34 97 62 60 97
50 to 99 workers....... 56 53 95 55 53 95 64 62 97
100 workers or more...... 78 76 98 77 75 98 82 80 98
100 to 499 workers..... 71 69 98 71 69 98 74 73 97
500 workers or more.... 85 84 98 86 85 99 85 83 98
Geographic areas
Northeast................ 60 59 99 57 56 99 81 79 98
New England............ 59 57 98 56 56 99 72 66 93
Middle Atlantic........ 60 60 99 57 56 99 85 84 99
South.................... 63 61 97 59 57 97 82 79 97
South Atlantic......... 62 60 98 58 57 98 83 81 98
East South Central..... 64 62 97 59 58 98 85 80 93
West South Central..... 64 61 96 61 58 95 77 76 98
Midwest.................. 63 61 97 60 59 97 79 77 98
East North Central..... 63 61 97 61 59 97 79 76 96
West North Central..... 62 61 98 59 57 97 79 79 100
West..................... 54 52 98 50 49 98 75 74 99
Mountain............... 57 56 97 54 53 97 80 79 99
Pacific................ 52 51 98 48 47 98 74 73 99
1 The take-up rate is an estimate of the percentage of workers with access to a plan who participate in the plan,
rounded for presentation. See Technical Note for more details.
2 Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public
sector, except the federal government. See Technical Note for further explanation.
3 Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories based on the average wage for the occupation, which
may include workers with earnings both above and below the threshold. The categories were formed using percentile
estimates generated using ECEC data for March 2015.
Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of
major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at
www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20142015.htm.
Table 6. Selected paid leave benefits: Access, National Compensation Survey, March 2015
(All workers = 100 percent)
Civilian(1) Private industry State and local government
Characteristics
Paid sick Paid Paid Paid sick Paid Paid Paid sick Paid Paid
leave vacation holidays leave vacation holidays leave vacation holidays
All workers.............. 65 74 75 61 76 77 90 60 67
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 84 76 80 81 88 89 91 43 55
Management, business,
and financial.......... 88 95 95 88 96 97 – – –
Professional and
related................ 82 68 73 78 83 84 91 36 50
Teachers............. 83 17 35 – – – 89 12 31
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 95 13 30 – – – 96 9 27
Registered nurses.... 79 85 86 – – – – – –
Service.................. 45 56 54 39 53 50 86 76 79
Protective service..... 71 79 81 43 65 73 90 89 87
Sales and office......... 67 79 80 65 79 80 89 84 85
Sales and related...... 53 70 70 53 70 69 – – –
Office and
administrative support 75 85 86 73 85 86 90 85 86
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 57 80 83 53 78 82 95 96 97
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 43 67 72 36 63 69 – – –
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 70 91 93 67 91 92 – – –
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 58 82 84 56 83 85 88 63 73
Production............. 58 90 91 57 90 91 – – –
Transportation and
material moving........ 58 74 78 55 75 78 – – –
Full time................ 78 87 88 74 91 90 98 67 74
Part time................ 26 33 36 24 34 37 42 21 30
Union.................... 85 74 80 73 89 90 97 57 69
Nonunion................. 62 74 74 60 75 75 83 61 66
Average wage within the
following categories:(2)
Lowest 25 percent...... 34 50 50 31 48 48 76 57 64
Lowest 10 percent.... 22 39 37 22 40 36 63 41 49
Second 25 percent...... 69 83 84 66 84 84 93 84 87
Third 25 percent....... 78 88 89 73 89 90 93 64 73
Highest 25 perecent.... 87 79 83 84 91 92 97 37 49
Highest 10 percent... 89 79 83 86 92 93 98 37 47
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 59 88 90 58 88 90 – – –
Service-providing
industries............... 66 71 73 62 74 74 90 59 67
Education and health
services............... 79 65 72 72 78 81 90 43 55
Educational services 86 39 53 73 53 63 90 36 50
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 89 27 42 – – – 91 26 41
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 86 67 79 80 73 80 89 64 78
Health care and
social assistance.... 74 83 85 72 83 85 88 88 88
Hospitals.......... 86 92 93 – – – 92 94 94
Public administration.. 89 89 88 – – – 89 89 88
1 to 99 workers.......... 53 68 68 52 68 68 80 66 69
1 to 49 workers........ 50 65 66 49 65 66 72 65 67
50 to 99 workers....... 60 76 74 58 76 74 91 67 72
100 workers or more...... 77 79 82 72 86 86 91 59 67
100 to 499 workers..... 70 80 81 67 83 83 88 61 64
500 workers or more.... 84 78 82 80 90 91 92 58 68
Geographic areas
Northeast................ 69 73 75 66 76 77 90 56 60
New England............ 66 70 73 62 74 76 89 48 54
Middle Atlantic........ 71 75 76 67 77 78 91 60 63
South.................... 66 76 77 61 78 78 91 62 69
South Atlantic......... 67 76 78 62 78 78 92 65 77
East South Central..... 65 76 76 58 79 77 91 64 71
West South Central..... 64 76 75 60 79 79 88 54 56
Midwest.................. 62 74 75 58 77 76 87 55 67
East North Central..... 61 74 74 57 77 76 86 53 66
West North Central..... 65 74 77 61 77 78 90 58 69
West..................... 64 70 73 60 71 73 89 63 69
Mountain............... 60 70 69 57 72 71 83 53 58
Pacific................ 66 70 75 61 71 75 92 67 73
1 Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public
sector, except the federal government. See Technical Note for further explanation.
2 Surveyed occupations are classified into wage categories based on the average wage for the occupation, which
may include workers with earnings both above and below the threshold. The categories were formed using percentile
estimates generated using ECEC data for March 2015.
Note: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria. For definitions of
major plans, key provisions, and related terms, see the "Glossary of Employee Benefit Terms" at
www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/glossary20142015.htm.
United States Department of Labor
