For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, July 20, 2018                                           USDL-18-1182

Technical information:  (202) 691-6199    ncsinfo@bls.gov    www.bls.gov/ebs
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902    pressoffice@bls.gov

                        EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES – MARCH 2018

Medical care benefits were available to 69 percent of private industry workers and 89 percent of state 
and local government workers in March 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In 
private industry, access to employer-sponsored medical care benefits varied by establishment size. Fifty-
five percent of private industry workers in small establishments (those with fewer than 100 employees) 
were offered medical care benefits. These benefits were offered to 83 percent of workers in medium-size 
establishments (those employing between 100 and 499 workers) and 88 percent of workers in large 
establishments (those with 500 employees or more). In state and local government, medical care benefits 
were available to 85 percent of workers in small establishments, 86 percent of workers in medium-size 
establishments, and 92 percent of workers in large establishments. (See tables A and 1.)

In private industry, paid sick leave was available to 62 percent of workers in small establishments, 79 
percent of workers in medium-size establishments, and 87 percent of workers in large establishments.
Small establishments provided paid vacation to 70 percent of workers, whereas the benefit was provided 
to 85 percent of those working in medium-size establishments and 89 percent of those working in large 
establishments. Access to paid holidays was available to 71 percent of workers in small establishments, 
86 percent of workers in medium-size establishments, and 88 percent of workers in large establishments. 
(See table 5.)

Civilian workers
  *  For full-time workers, access to medical care benefits was 88 percent and the take-up rate was 
74 percent. For part-time workers, access to medical care benefits was 21 percent and the take-up 
rate was 56 percent. (See table 1.)
  *  The share of medical care premiums paid by employees was 20 percent for single coverage and 
32 percent for family coverage. (See tables 2 and 3.)
  *  Life insurance was available to 17 percent of workers with an average wage in the lowest 10 
percent category and to 85 percent of workers with an average wage in the highest 10 percent 
category. The take-up rate was 89 percent for the lowest 10 percent category and 99 percent for 
the highest 10 percent category. (See table 4.)

Private industry workers
  *  For union workers, access to medical care benefits was 94 percent and access to life insurance 
was 85 percent. Nonunion workers' access to these benefits was 66 percent for medical care and 
54 percent for life insurance. (See tables 1 and 4.)
  *  The shares of medical care premiums paid by employees for single coverage was 19 percent for 
establishments employing 500 workers or more and 23 percent for establishments employing 50 
to 99 workers. For family coverage, the employees' share of medical care premiums was 24 
percent for establishments employing 500 workers or more and 40 percent for establishments 
employing 50 to 99 workers. (See tables 2 and 3.)

State and local government workers
  *  Life insurance was available to 91 percent of full-time workers and 89 percent participated. The 
benefit was available to 24 percent of part-time workers and 23 percent participated. (See table 4.)
  *  Ninety-one percent of workers had access to paid sick leave. Access to paid vacation was 61 
percent and to paid holidays was 68 percent. (See table 5.)


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                               Additional Estimates Available Fall 2018

Retirement benefits data included in prior news releases will be published September 21, 2018, with 
information on additional employer-sponsored benefits. For all available benefits publications, see 
www.bls.gov/ncs/ncspubs.htm.
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                                               TECHNICAL NOTE


Estimates in this release are from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), conducted by the U.S. 
Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This news release contains March 2018 
estimates on the incidence (access to and participation in) of selected employer-sponsored benefits and 
the share of premiums paid by employers and employees for medical plans for civilian, private industry, 
and state and local government workers in the United States. Workers in the civilian economy are 
defined as those employed in private industry and state and local government. Excluded from the 
civilian economy are workers employed in federal and quasi-federal agencies, military personnel, 
agricultural workers, volunteers, unpaid workers, individuals receiving long-term disability 
compensation, and those working overseas. In addition, private industry excludes workers in private 
households, the self-employed, workers who set their own pay (e.g., proprietors, owners, major 
stockholders, and partners in unincorporated firms), and family members paid token wages.

The NCS provides comprehensive measures of compensation cost levels and trends and also provides 
benefits incidence estimates on the percentage of workers with access to and participating in employer-
provided benefit plans. The survey covers a broad range of benefits including paid leave, life insurance, 
and detailed provisions for health care and retirement plans. Archived NCS releases are available at 
www.bls.gov/ncs/ncspubs.htm.

Comparing private and public sector data: 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. 
Administrative support and professional occupations (including teachers) account for two-thirds of the 
state and local government workforce, compared with one-half of private industry.

Standard errors: To assist users in ascertaining the reliability of benefits estimates, standard errors are 
made available with publication of the news release. Standard errors provide users a measure of the 
precision of an estimate to ensure that it is within an acceptable range for its intended purpose. For 
further information see www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/nb_var.htm.

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 
vacations 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.

Medical plan premiums: The estimates for medical plan premiums are not based on actual decisions 
regarding medical coverage made by employees; instead they are based on the assumption that all 
employees in the occupation can opt for single or family coverage. Monthly premiums are collected 
when possible. Annual premiums are converted to monthly premiums by dividing by 12 months.

Sample rotation: One-third of the private industry sample is rotated each year except in years when the 
government sample is replaced. The government sample is replaced less frequently than the private 
industry sample. The state and local government sample was replaced in its entirety for the March 2017 
reference period.

Sample size: 

Survey scope: 

Calculations for average wage categories: Estimates by worker average wage are grouped into six 
wage 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 use percentile values based on 
unpublished March 2018 wages and salaries from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation 
publication.

The percentiles are computed using average hourly earnings from sampled occupations within an 
establishment. Establishments in the survey are asked to report only individual worker earnings and 
scheduled hours of work for each sampled job. For the calculation of the percentile values, the 
individual worker hourly wages are weighted and arrayed from lowest to highest. The values 
corresponding to the percentiles are:

Individual workers can fall into a wage category different from the average for the occupation into 
which they are classified because average hourly wages for the occupation are used to produce the 
benefit estimates.

Definitions of major terms:

Access: Employees are considered to have access to a benefit plan if it is available for their use. For 
example, if an employee is permitted to participate in a medical plan offered by the employer, but the 
employee declines to do so, he or she is placed in a category with those having access to medical care 
benefits.

Participation: Employees in contributory plans are considered participants if they have paid required 
contributions and fulfilled any applicable service requirements. Employees in noncontributory plans are 
counted as participating regardless of whether they have fulfilled the service requirements. Note that the 
term "incidence" can refer to either rates of access or rates of participation in a benefit plan.

Take-up rate: The percentage of workers with access to a plan and who participate in the plan.

Medical care benefits provide services or payments for services rendered in the hospital or by a 
qualified medical care provider.

Obtaining information: For technical information on survey methods, see "National Compensation 
Measures," in the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/home.htm. The Concepts 
section of the Handbook provides definitions for worker and establishment characteristics, including 
geographic areas. For BLS research articles on employee benefits, see the Monthly Labor Review at 
www.bls.gov/opub/mlr, Beyond the Numbers: Pay and Benefits at www.bls.gov/opub/btn and The 
Economics Daily at www.bls.gov/opub/ted.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.
Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.