For release 10:00 A.M. (EDT) WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013 USDL-13-1344
Technical information:
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov http://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 2013
Employer-provided medical care was available to 85 percent of full-time private industry workers in the
United States in March 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. By contrast, only 24
percent of part-time workers had medical care benefits available. Access, or availability, also varied by
employment size: 57 percent for all workers in small establishments (those with fewer than 100
employees), compared with 85 percent in medium and large establishments (those with 100 employees or
more).
Retirement benefits followed a similar pattern as medical care benefits. In private industry, 74 percent of
full-time workers had access to a retirement plan, significantly higher than 37 percent of part-time
workers. Retirement benefits were available to 49 percent of workers in small establishments and 82
percent of workers in medium and large establishments. A worker with access to a medical or retirement
plan is defined as having an employer-provided plan available for use, regardless of the workersν
decision to enroll or participate in the plan. (See charts 1 and 2.)
Paid sick leave benefits were also more commonly offered to full-time workers and those in medium and
large establishments in private industry. Plans were offered to 74 percent of full-time workers and 24
percent of part-time workers. Similarly, 51 percent of workers in small establishments and 72 percent in
medium and large establishments had access to a paid sick leave benefit. (See charts 1 and 2 and table
6.)
These data are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which provides comprehensive measures
of compensation cost trends and incidence and provisions of employee benefit plans.
Additional findings include:
* In private industry, 64 percent of employees had access to retirement benefits, significantly less
than the 89 percent of state and local government employees with access. Additionally, only 49
percent of private industry employees actually participated in a retirement plan (had current
coverage), significantly less than the 85 percent participation rate of state and local government
employees. (See table 1.)
* Full-time workers in state and local government had greater access to employer-provided benefits
than private industry workers. For example, retirement and medical care benefits were offered to
99 percent of state and local government workers while only 74 percent of full-time employees in
private industry had access to retirement benefits and 85 percent to medical care coverage. (See
tables 1 and 2.)
* For private industry employees in the lowest 10 percent of average earnings, employers paid 71
percent of the single coverage medical plan premium. For employees in the highest 10 percent of
average earnings, the employer share of the premium was 81 percent. For family coverage, the
employer share of the premium was 56 percent for employees in the lowest 10 percent of
earnings, significantly less than the 73 percent for employees in the highest 10 percent of
earnings. (See tables 3 and 4).
* Access and participation in life insurance benefits varied significantly for full-time and part-time
workers. In private industry, 72 percent of full-time workers had access to life insurance benefits.
For state and local government workers, 90 percent of full-time workers had access. In contrast,
only 14 percent of part-time workers in private industry and 23 percent of state and local
government workers had access. Most workers who had access participated in life insurance
benefits. (See table 5.)
* Paid holidays were available to 97 percent of management, business, and financial employees in
private industry. In contrast, only 53 percent of service employees in private industry were
provided paid holidays. (See table 6.)
More information can be obtained by calling (202) 691-6199, sending e-mail to NCSinfo@bls.gov, or by
visiting the BLS Internet site, http://www.bls.gov/ebs/home.htm.
NOTE
More information will be published in early fall, including March 2013 data for civilian, private industry,
and state and local government workers 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: http://www.bls.gov/ebs.
In addition, new editions of Beyond the Numbers: Pay and Benefits (http://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/) will
be published featuring the latest benefits data. Beyond the Numbers: Pay and Benefits, brings together
employee benefits information from various National Compensation Survey publications into one
convenient and easy-to-read format.
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 2013 data on
civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers in the United States. Under the NCS
program, information on the incidence and provision of benefits is published in several stages. 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. An extensive number of tables on the
incidence of selected benefits will be available in the annual bulletin to be published in early fall, 2013.
Previous publications containing information on employee benefits for private industry and state and
local government workers are available on the BLS website at http://www.bls.gov/ebs.
Calculation details
For data presented by wage category, 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 2013 wages and
salaries from the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation.
The percentiles were computed using earnings reported for individual workers in sampled establishment
jobs and their scheduled hours of work. Establishments in the survey may report only individual worker
earnings for each sampled job. For the calculation of the hourly percentile values, the individual worker
hourly earnings are appropriately 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 $8.75 $11.53 $17.46 $27.60 $41.80
Private industry workers $8.50 $11.00 $16.59 $26.18 $40.44
State and local government $12.00 $15.80 $23.01 $34.19 $47.72
________________________________________________________________________________________________
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 make at or above the 25th percentile value but less than the
50th percentile value. The third 25 percent category includes those occupations that make 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 have identical
coverage.
Medical care
Medical care plans provide services or payments for services rendered in the hospital or by a qualified
medical care provider.
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.
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 is not considered vacation days for
the purposes of this survey.
Survey response
The March 2013 benefits survey included a sample of 11,893 establishments. The definitions in
Appendix table 1 are as follows:
Responding. The establishment provided information on at least one usable occupation. An occupation
is classified as usable if the following data are present: earnings, occupational characteristics (full- vs.
part-time schedule, union vs. nonunion status, and time vs. incentive pay type), and work schedule.
Refused or unable to provide data. The establishment did not provide earnings, occupational
characteristics, and work schedule data for any occupation.
Out of business or not in survey scope. The establishment is no longer in operation. Establishments not in
the survey scope include farm and private households, the self-employed, the Federal government, and
locations of an establishment that are not in the sampled area. Also excluded are establishments with no
workers within the survey scope. For example, an establishment where all the workers are also owners
would be excluded.
Survey scope
The March 2013 NCS benefits survey represented nearly 125 million civilian workers; of this number,
about 106 million were private industry workers and 19 million, state and local government workers (see
Appendix table 2).
Obtaining information
For research articles on employee benefits, see the Monthly Labor Review at the BLS Web sites
http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/home.htm and http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/home.htm. For further
technical information, see Chapter 8, "National Compensation Measures," of the BLS Handbook of
Methods at: http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch8.pdf and
http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/homch8_a.htm.
Table 1. Retirement benefits:(1) Access, participation, and take-up rates,(2) National Compensation Survey, March
2013
(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.............. 68 54 80 64 49 76 89 85 95
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 83 73 88 79 68 85 91 87 95
Management, business,
and financial.......... 85 76 89 84 74 88
Professional and
related................ 82 72 88 77 64 83 91 87 95
Teachers............. 86 81 94 91 86 95
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 95 91 96 99 95 97
Registered nurses.... 78 66 84
Service.................. 45 30 67 38 21 56 83 79 95
Protective service..... 79 63 80 62 29 46 90 87 96
Sales and office......... 70 54 77 69 51 74 89 85 96
Sales and related...... 67 43 64 67 43 64
Office and
administrative support 73 60 83 70 57 81 90 86 96
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 69 56 82 66 53 79 95 92 96
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 65 53 81 61 47 77
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 73 60 82 71 57 81
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 69 52 76 68 51 75 86 82 95
Production............. 73 57 78 72 56 78
Transportation and
material moving........ 65 48 74 64 46 72
Full time................ 78 65 83 74 59 80 99 94 95
Part time................ 37 21 57 37 20 53 39 35 91
Union.................... 95 89 93 94 86 92 97 93 95
Nonunion................. 63 48 76 61 45 73 83 78 95
Average wage within the
following categories:(4)
Lowest 25 percent...... 40 22 54 38 18 48 73 69 95
Lowest 10 percent.... 28 11 38 28 10 35 58 55 94
Second 25 percent...... 70 54 77 65 47 72 93 88 95
Third 25 percent....... 80 68 85 75 62 82 95 90 95
Highest 25 perecent.... 89 80 90 85 75 89 98 93 95
Highest 10 percent... 90 82 91 87 78 90 98 92 94
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 75 61 81 75 61 81
Service-providing
industries............... 67 53 79 62 46 74 89 85 95
Education and health
services............... 76 65 86 67 52 78 90 85 94
Educational services 86 80 93 71 60 84 90 86 95
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 90 86 95 92 88 96
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 87 78 89 89 76 85 86 79 91
Healthcare and social
assistance........... 68 54 79 66 51 77 89 82 92
Hospitals.......... 90 77 86 95 85 89
Public administration.. 91 87 96 91 87 96
1 to 99 workers.......... 50 36 72 49 35 71 77 74 96
1 to 49 workers........ 45 33 73 45 32 72 69 66 95
50 to 99 workers....... 65 46 71 63 43 68 89 86 97
100 workers or more...... 85 71 84 82 65 79 91 86 95
100 to 499 workers..... 80 61 76 79 58 73 87 84 96
500 workers or more.... 89 80 90 87 76 87 92 87 95
Geographic areas
New England.............. 68 55 81 65 50 77 86 82 96
Middle Atlantic.......... 67 55 83 63 51 81 91 84 92
East North Central....... 70 56 81 68 53 78 84 82 97
West North Central....... 73 58 79 70 53 76 91 83 92
South Atlantic........... 67 52 77 63 46 73 90 84 93
East South Central....... 72 57 80 66 48 73 92 89 97
West South Central....... 68 52 77 65 46 71 89 86 97
Mountain................. 66 51 77 63 45 72 88 86 97
Pacific.................. 65 53 82 60 46 77 91 88 98
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 data from the National Compensation Survey publication, "Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation - March 2013."
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/glossary20122013.htm.
Table 2. Medical care benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,(1) National Compensation Survey, March
2013
(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 54 75 70 51 73 87 73 84
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 88 69 79 87 67 77 89 74 83
Management, business,
and financial.......... 94 73 78 94 73 77
Professional and
related................ 85 68 79 84 65 77 89 74 83
Teachers............. 86 70 81 88 73 82
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 97 79 82 98 80 82
Registered nurses.... 81 60 74
Service.................. 46 31 67 40 25 61 81 69 85
Protective service..... 70 58 83 45 32 71 88 77 87
Sales and office......... 73 53 74 71 52 72 87 73 84
Sales and related...... 62 43 69 62 43 69
Office and
administrative support 79 59 75 77 57 74 87 73 84
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 79 60 77 77 58 75 95 83 87
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 73 58 79 70 54 77
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 84 63 75 83 61 74
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 76 58 76 76 57 75 82 68 83
Production............. 84 64 77 84 64 76
Transportation and
material moving........ 69 52 75 69 51 74
Full time................ 88 67 77 85 64 75 99 84 84
Part time................ 24 13 56 24 13 54 24 17 73
Union.................... 95 79 83 95 79 83 95 79 84
Nonunion................. 68 50 73 67 48 72 80 68 84
Average wage within the
following categories:(3)
Lowest 25 percent...... 38 23 60 34 20 57 68 56 82
Lowest 10 percent.... 21 11 52 20 10 50 54 42 78
Second 25 percent...... 78 58 74 74 53 72 91 78 86
Third 25 percent....... 88 70 79 86 66 77 94 80 86
Highest 25 perecent.... 94 75 80 93 72 78 97 80 83
Highest 10 percent... 95 76 80 94 74 79 97 82 85
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 86 68 79 86 68 79
Service-providing
industries............... 70 52 74 66 48 72 87 73 84
Education and health
services............... 79 60 76 74 52 71 88 72 82
Educational services 85 68 80 77 57 74 88 72 82
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 88 70 80 89 71 80
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 86 71 82 90 68 76 84 72 86
Healthcare and social
assistance........... 74 54 72 73 52 71 89 74 83
Hospitals.......... 89 69 78 94 79 84
Public administration.. 88 78 88 88 78 88
1 to 99 workers.......... 57 41 72 57 40 71 74 64 86
1 to 49 workers........ 53 38 72 53 38 71 64 55 86
50 to 99 workers....... 70 50 71 69 48 70 88 76 86
100 workers or more...... 86 66 77 85 63 75 89 74 84
100 to 499 workers..... 83 62 75 82 61 74 85 71 84
500 workers or more.... 89 70 79 88 67 76 90 76 84
Geographic areas
New England.............. 73 52 72 70 49 70 87 70 80
Middle Atlantic.......... 72 56 77 70 52 75 86 77 90
East North Central....... 73 53 72 72 51 71 80 62 78
West North Central....... 70 51 73 67 48 72 85 69 81
South Atlantic........... 73 54 74 70 50 72 89 76 85
East South Central....... 76 60 78 72 53 74 92 84 92
West South Central....... 73 55 75 70 51 74 91 74 81
Mountain................. 69 51 74 67 48 72 87 72 83
Pacific.................. 71 56 79 68 52 77 88 74 84
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 data from the National Compensation Survey publication, "Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation - March 2013."
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/glossary20122013.htm.
Table 3. Medical plans: Share of premiums paid by employer and employee for single
coverage, National Compensation Survey, March 2013
(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............ 81 19 79 21 87 13
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 82 18 81 19 87 13
Management, business,
and financial.......... 81 19 79 21
Professional and
related................ 83 17 81 19 87 13
Teachers............. 87 13 87 13
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 87 13 87 13
Registered nurses.... 80 20
Service.................. 80 20 77 23 87 13
Protective service..... 85 15 75 25 87 13
Sales and office......... 78 22 77 23 88 12
Sales and related...... 72 28 72 28
Office and
administrative support 81 19 79 21 88 12
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 82 18 81 19 88 12
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 84 16 83 17
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 80 20 79 21
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 87 13
Part time................ 74 26 72 28 81 19
Union.................... 87 13 87 13 87 13
Nonunion................. 79 21 78 22 87 13
Average wage within the
following categories:(2)
Lowest 25 percent...... 75 25 73 27 87 13
Lowest 10 percent.... 72 28 71 29 88 12
Second 25 percent...... 79 21 78 22 87 13
Third 25 percent....... 81 19 80 20 88 12
Highest 25 perecent.... 83 17 81 19 87 13
Highest 10 percent... 83 17 81 19 89 11
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 81 19 81 19
Service-providing
industries............... 81 19 78 22 87 13
Education and health
services............... 83 17 80 20 86 14
Educational services 85 15 81 19 86 14
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 86 14 86 14
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 85 15 79 21 88 12
Healthcare and social
assistance........... 81 19 80 20 86 14
Hospitals.......... 82 18 87 13
Public administration.. 88 12 88 12
1 to 99 workers.......... 79 21 79 21 90 10
1 to 49 workers........ 80 20 79 21 91 9
50 to 99 workers....... 78 22 77 23 90 10
100 workers or more...... 81 19 79 21 87 13
100 to 499 workers..... 79 21 78 22 88 12
500 workers or more.... 83 17 81 19 86 14
Geographic areas
New England.............. 78 22 77 23 84 16
Middle Atlantic.......... 83 17 81 19 89 11
East North Central....... 80 20 79 21 88 12
West North Central....... 81 19 78 22 91 9
South Atlantic........... 79 21 76 24 86 14
East South Central....... 80 20 77 23 87 13
West South Central....... 80 20 79 21 86 14
Mountain................. 82 18 81 19 88 12
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
data from the National Compensation Survey publication, "Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation - March 2013."
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/glossary20122013.htm.
Table 4. Medical plans: Share of premiums paid by employer and employee for family
coverage, National Compensation Survey, March 2013
(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 70 30
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 70 30 70 30 69 31
Management, business,
and financial.......... 70 30 70 30
Professional and
related................ 70 30 70 30 68 32
Teachers............. 67 33 67 33
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 66 34 66 34
Registered nurses.... 71 29
Service.................. 64 36 60 40 72 28
Protective service..... 74 26 60 40 78 22
Sales and office......... 67 33 66 34 72 28
Sales and related...... 62 38 62 38
Office and
administrative support 69 31 68 32 72 28
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 69 31 69 31 72 28
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 71 29 71 29
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 67 33 67 33
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 72 28 72 28 71 29
Production............. 73 27 73 27
Transportation and
material moving........ 71 29 72 28
Full time................ 69 31 68 32 71 29
Part time................ 64 36 63 37 69 31
Union.................... 80 20 83 17 78 22
Nonunion................. 65 35 66 34 63 37
Average wage within the
following categories:(2)
Lowest 25 percent...... 59 41 58 42 63 37
Lowest 10 percent.... 57 43 56 44 56 44
Second 25 percent...... 66 34 66 34 72 28
Third 25 percent....... 70 30 69 31 70 30
Highest 25 perecent.... 73 27 73 27 74 26
Highest 10 percent... 74 26 73 27 79 21
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 74 26 74 26
Service-providing
industries............... 67 33 67 33 70 30
Education and health
services............... 66 34 66 34 66 34
Educational services 66 34 65 35 66 34
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 64 36 64 36
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 71 29 69 31 72 28
Healthcare and social
assistance........... 67 33 66 34 70 30
Hospitals.......... 74 26 71 29
Public administration.. 77 23 77 23
1 to 99 workers.......... 63 37 63 37 70 30
1 to 49 workers........ 63 37 63 37 72 28
50 to 99 workers....... 64 36 63 37 68 32
100 workers or more...... 72 28 72 28 70 30
100 to 499 workers..... 68 32 68 32 69 31
500 workers or more.... 74 26 77 23 71 29
Geographic areas
New England.............. 74 26 73 27 79 21
Middle Atlantic.......... 75 25 73 27 87 13
East North Central....... 74 26 72 28 82 18
West North Central....... 67 33 66 34 69 31
South Atlantic........... 64 36 63 37 65 35
East South Central....... 61 39 64 36 55 45
West South Central....... 62 38 65 35 53 47
Mountain................. 68 32 69 31 64 36
Pacific.................. 69 31 68 32 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
data from the National Compensation Survey publication, "Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation - March 2013."
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/glossary20122013.htm.
Table 5. Life insurance benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,(1) National Compensation Survey, March
2013
(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 55 97 79 78 98
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 79 78 98 78 78 99 80 78 98
Management, business,
and financial.......... 86 85 99 86 85 99
Professional and
related................ 76 75 98 74 73 99 79 77 97
Teachers............. 74 72 97 78 76 97
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 82 81 98 85 84 98
Registered nurses.... 76 76 99
Service.................. 34 33 96 27 26 95 76 75 98
Protective service..... 70 67 96 48 43 88 85 85 99
Sales and office......... 59 57 96 57 55 96 79 78 98
Sales and related...... 47 44 93 47 44 93
Office and
administrative support 65 64 97 63 62 97 80 78 98
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 61 60 97 58 57 97 91 89 99
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 55 53 97 50 48 97
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 67 66 98 65 63 98
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 65 62 96 64 62 96 78 77 99
Production............. 72 69 96 72 69 96
Transportation and
material moving........ 58 56 96 57 54 96
Full time................ 75 73 98 72 70 98 90 88 98
Part time................ 15 13 88 14 12 87 23 22 96
Union.................... 86 85 98 86 85 98 86 85 98
Nonunion................. 56 54 97 54 52 97 74 72 97
Average wage within the
following categories:(3)
Lowest 25 percent...... 26 23 91 22 20 89 62 61 98
Lowest 10 percent.... 12 11 89 11 10 90 48 46 96
Second 25 percent...... 63 61 97 58 56 96 84 82 98
Third 25 percent....... 76 74 98 72 71 98 85 83 98
Highest 25 perecent.... 86 85 99 84 83 99 89 86 97
Highest 10 percent... 89 88 99 89 88 99 90 86 96
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 73 71 97 72 71 97
Service-providing
industries............... 58 57 97 54 52 97 79 78 98
Education and health
services............... 68 66 98 61 60 98 79 77 97
Educational services 76 74 98 67 66 99 79 77 97
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 76 75 98 78 76 98
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 83 80 96 85 84 99 81 77 95
Healthcare and social
assistance........... 62 61 98 60 59 98 81 79 97
Hospitals.......... 86 85 98 90 87 97
Public administration.. 83 82 99 83 82 99
1 to 99 workers.......... 40 39 97 39 38 96 63 63 99
1 to 49 workers........ 36 34 96 35 34 96 60 59 99
50 to 99 workers....... 55 53 97 54 52 97 68 67 99
100 workers or more...... 79 77 97 78 76 97 82 80 98
100 to 499 workers..... 73 70 97 72 70 96 75 73 98
500 workers or more.... 85 83 98 85 84 99 84 82 98
Geographic areas
New England.............. 61 59 97 59 58 98 73 69 94
Middle Atlantic.......... 59 58 99 55 54 98 84 84 100
East North Central....... 66 64 97 63 62 97 79 76 97
West North Central....... 59 57 96 56 53 95 79 78 99
South Atlantic........... 60 59 97 56 55 97 83 81 98
East South Central....... 67 64 95 63 60 96 85 80 94
West South Central....... 63 60 96 60 57 95 77 76 98
Mountain................. 59 57 97 56 54 97 80 79 99
Pacific.................. 53 52 98 49 48 98 73 72 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 data from the National Compensation Survey publication, "Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation - March 2013."
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/glossary20122013.htm.
Table 6. Selected paid leave benefits: Access, National Compensation Survey, March 2013
(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 76 61 77 77 89 59 67
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 85 75 79 83 88 89 90 43 55
Management, business,
and financial.......... 89 95 95 88 96 97
Professional and
related................ 84 68 73 80 84 85 90 36 50
Teachers............. 85 17 34 88 12 30
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 95 12 29 95 8 26
Registered nurses.... 79 80 82
Service.................. 47 58 57 40 55 53 85 76 78
Protective service..... 74 81 83 53 72 78 90 88 87
Sales and office......... 67 79 80 64 79 79 89 84 85
Sales and related...... 52 68 67 52 68 67
Office and
administrative support 75 86 87 73 86 87 90 85 86
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 57 82 85 53 81 84 95 95 96
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 44 71 77 38 68 75
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 68 92 92 66 91 92
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 55 82 84 54 83 84 87 63 73
Production............. 55 91 92 55 91 92
Transportation and
material moving........ 56 74 76 53 75 77
Full time................ 78 87 88 74 91 90 98 67 74
Part time................ 26 34 38 24 36 39 41 21 29
Union.................... 84 75 81 71 91 92 97 57 69
Nonunion................. 62 74 75 60 75 76 82 62 66
Average wage within the
following categories:(2)
Lowest 25 percent...... 34 51 51 30 49 49 75 56 63
Lowest 10 percent.... 21 39 37 20 39 36 62 41 49
Second 25 percent...... 69 83 84 63 83 84 93 84 87
Third 25 percent....... 79 89 90 74 90 90 93 66 74
Highest 25 perecent.... 87 79 82 84 91 92 96 37 49
Highest 10 percent... 90 78 81 87 92 92 98 36 46
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 57 89 91 57 89 91
Service-providing
industries............... 67 72 73 62 74 74 89 59 67
Education and health
services............... 80 65 71 74 78 80 89 42 55
Educational services 86 40 52 75 55 62 89 35 49
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 90 27 41 90 26 41
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 85 67 78 81 72 80 87 64 77
Healthcare and social
assistance........... 75 82 84 74 82 83 89 87 89
Hospitals.......... 87 90 91 93 93 94
Public administration.. 90 89 88 90 89 88
1 to 99 workers.......... 52 69 68 51 69 68 79 66 69
1 to 49 workers........ 51 66 67 50 66 67 71 64 66
50 to 99 workers....... 59 76 74 56 76 74 90 69 74
100 workers or more...... 77 79 82 72 86 87 90 58 67
100 to 499 workers..... 69 81 82 66 84 85 87 60 64
500 workers or more.... 85 78 82 81 90 91 92 58 68
Geographic areas
New England.............. 69 72 73 65 75 77 89 48 53
Middle Atlantic.......... 68 73 75 65 76 77 89 59 63
East North Central....... 60 74 76 56 78 78 85 53 65
West North Central....... 64 73 75 59 76 76 90 58 69
South Atlantic........... 66 77 79 61 79 80 92 66 77
East South Central....... 65 75 78 58 78 80 90 64 71
West South Central....... 67 76 76 63 80 80 86 54 56
Mountain................. 61 73 71 58 76 73 83 53 58
Pacific.................. 67 72 73 63 73 73 91 66 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 data from the National Compensation Survey publication, "Employer Costs for Employee
Compensation - March 2013."
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/glossary20122013.htm.
Appendix table 1. Survey establishment response, National Compensation Survey, March 2013
Establishments Total Private industry State and local
governments
Total in sampling
frame(1).............. 5,361,947 5,138,925 223,023
Total in sample..... 11,893 10,297 1,596
Responding........ 7,633 6,268 1,365
Refused or unable
to provide data....... 2,871 2,660 211
Out of business or
not in survey scope... 1,389 1,369 20
1 The list of establishments from which the survey sample was selected (sampling frame) was
developed from State unemployment insurance reports and is based on the 2007 North American
Industry Classification System (NAICS). For private industries, an establishment is usually a
single physical location. For State and local governments, an establishment is defined as all
locations of a government entity.
NOTE: Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not equal totals.
Appendix table 2. Number of workers(1) represented, National Compensation Survey, March
2013
Occupational group(2) Civilian workers Private industry State and local
workers government workers
All workers........... 124,992,900 106,145,300 18,847,500
Management,
professional, and
related............. 36,976,900 26,611,000 10,365,900
Management,
business, and
financial......... 10,870,300 9,322,100
Professional and
related........... 26,106,600 17,288,900 8,817,700
Teachers........ 6,248,800 4,915,000
Primary,
secondary, and
special
education
school
teachers...... 4,154,200 3,598,000
Registered
nurses.......... 2,753,700
Service............. 27,820,000 23,742,700 4,077,300
Protective service 3,143,400 1,306,100 1,837,300
Sales and office.... 32,422,000 29,719,400 2,702,600
Sales and related 11,833,100 11,706,200
Office and
administrative
support........... 20,588,900 18,013,200 2,575,700
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance......... 9,500,000 8,565,600 934,400
Construction,
extraction,
farming, fishing,
and forestry...... 4,404,800 3,889,700
Installation,
maintenance, and
repair............ 5,095,200 4,675,900
Production,
transportation, and
material moving..... 18,274,000 17,506,600 767,400
Production........ 8,710,800 8,597,800
Transportation and
material moving... 9,563,200 8,908,800
1 The number of workers represented by the survey are rounded to the nearest 100.
Estimates of the number of workers provide a description of the size and composition of
the labor force included in the survey. Estimates are not intended, however, for
comparison to other statistical series to measure employment trends or levels.
2 The 2000 Standard Occupational Classification system is used to classify workers.
NOTE: Because of rounding, sums of individual items may not equal totals. Dashes
indicate that no estimates for this characteristic are provided in this publication.
United States Department of Labor
