Technical Contact: USDL: 09-0872
(202) 691-6199 NCSinfo@bls.gov
Media Contact: FOR RELEASE: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
(202) 691-5902 TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2009
Internet address:
http://www.bls.gov/ebs
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE UNITED STATES, MARCH 2009
While about 70 percent of workers in private industry had access to employer provided medical care
benefits in March 2009, only 25 percent of the lowest wage earners -- those with average hourly wages in
the lowest 10 percent of all private industry wages -- had such access, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. By contrast, nearly all workers with hourly wages in the
highest 10 percent of all private industry wages had access to medical care benefits. (See table 2.) A
worker with access to medical care benefits is defined as having an employer-provided medical plan available
for use, regardless of the worker’s decision to enroll or participate in the plan. These data are from the
National Compensation Survey (NCS), which provides comprehensive measures of occupation earnings, compensation
cost trends, and incidence and provisions of employee benefit plans. Farm and private household workers,
the self-employed, and Federal government workers are excluded from the survey.
The following are additional findings:
* Medical care benefits were available to 71 percent of private industry workers, compared with 88
percent among State and local government workers. About half of private industry workers participated
in a plan, less than the 73 percent of State and local government workers. (See table 2.)
* Employers paid 82 percent of the cost of premiums for single coverage and 71 percent of the cost for
family coverage, for workers participating in employer sponsored medical plans. The employer share for
single coverage was greater in State and local government (90 percent) than in private industry (80 percent).
For family coverage, the employer share of premiums was similar for private industry and State and local
government, 70 and 73 percent, respectively. (See tables 3 and 4.)
* Among full-time State and local government workers, virtually all (99 percent) had access to retirement
and medical care benefits. Of full-time workers in private industry, only 76 percent had access to
retirement benefits and 86 percent to medical care. Part-time workers had less access to these benefits in
both private industry and in State and local government; about 40 percent of part-time workers had access
to retirement benefits and about 25 percent had access to medical care benefits. (See tables 1 and 2.)
* Sixty-seven percent of private industry employees had access to retirement benefits, compared with
90 percent of State and local government employees. Eighty-six percent of State and local government
employees participated in a retirement plan, a significantly greater percentage than for private industry
workers, at 51 percent. (See table 1.) The NCS has broadened the definition of access to retirement benefits.
For more detail on this change, see the article in Compensation and Working Conditions Online at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20081219ar01p1.htm.
* Paid sick leave was available to approximately two-thirds of workers. Nearly 90 percent of State and
local government workers had access, significantly greater than the approximately 60 percent of private
industry workers. (See table 6.)
The incidence of employee benefits varied by worker characteristics and by establishment characteristics. For
example, private industry workers in service occupations have less access to medical care benefits (46 percent) than
private industry management, professional, and related workers (86 percent). Also, patterns of incidence varied
between private industry and State and local government. State and local government workers in service occupations
have less access to medical care than in management, professional, and related occupations (81 and 90 percent,
respectively). The disparity between these two occupational groups is larger in private industry (46 and 86 percent,
respectively).
Access to paid holidays and paid vacation leave was greater for professional and related workers in private
industry (85 and 83 percent, respectively) than in State and local government (51 and 37 percent, respectively). This
is due in part to the fact that in State and local government, teachers make up a larger percent of the professional
and related occupations than in private industry. Teachers and other employees in educational services are commonly
employed on the basis of 9-month contracts, and often do not receive formal paid holiday and vacation benefits.
(See Technical Note for more information on this topic.)
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/ncs/home.htm. Also, BLS Regional Information offices, which are listed
on the Internet site, http://www.bls.gov/bls/regncon.htm, are available to answer questions.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
More information will be published later this summer. Included will be March 2009 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. These results will be found on the BLS Web site http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs.
In addition, starting in the fall of 2009, new editions of Program Perspectives will be published, and these
publications will feature the latest benefits data. Program Perspectives brings together employee benefits information
from various National Compensation Survey publications into one convenient and easy-to-read publication. For the
latest publication, see: http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Table 1. Retirement benefits:(1) Access, participation, and take-up rates,(2) National Compensation Survey, March
2009
(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.............. 71 57 80 67 51 77 90 86 95
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 83 75 89 80 69 87 92 87 95
Management, business,
and financial.......... 87 79 91 86 77 90 - - -
Professional and
related................ 82 73 89 77 65 85 91 87 95
Teachers............. 85 81 94 - - - 91 88 96
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 92 88 96 - - - 97 94 97
Registered nurses.... 81 69 85 - - - 94 86 92
Service.................. 51 34 67 45 26 57 84 79 95
Protective service..... 71 59 84 44 23 51 91 86 95
Sales and office......... 73 57 78 71 54 75 90 87 96
Sales and related...... 67 44 66 67 44 66 - - -
Office and
administrative support 77 64 84 74 60 81 91 88 96
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 70 57 81 68 53 79 94 91 97
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 67 53 79 64 49 76 - - -
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 74 61 83 72 59 81 - - -
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 70 54 78 69 53 77 88 85 97
Production............. 70 57 80 70 56 80 - - -
Transportation and
material moving........ 69 52 76 68 50 74 - - -
Full time................ 80 67 84 76 61 80 99 95 96
Part time................ 40 23 59 39 22 55 41 37 89
Union.................... 92 87 95 87 82 94 97 94 96
Nonunion................. 67 51 77 65 48 74 84 79 95
Wage percentiles:(4)
Lowest 10 percent...... 34 15 44 35 15 43 58 54 92
Lowest 25 percent...... 46 26 57 43 23 52 74 69 94
Second 25 percent...... 72 56 78 69 50 73 94 89 95
Third 25 percent....... 80 68 86 76 63 83 95 91 96
Highest 25 perecent.... 88 81 91 84 75 89 97 94 96
Highest 10 percent..... 90 82 92 86 78 90 97 94 96
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 75 63 83 75 62 83 - - -
Service-providing
industries............... 70 56 80 65 49 75 90 85 95
Education and health
services............... 79 68 86 71 56 79 91 87 95
Educational services 88 83 94 75 63 84 91 87 96
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 91 87 96 - - - 93 90 97
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 87 79 91 88 78 88 86 79 92
Health care and
social assistance.... 72 57 80 70 55 78 92 83 90
Hospitals.......... 89 77 87 - - - 93 83 90
Public administration.. 89 85 96 - - - 89 85 96
1 to 99 workers.......... 54 38 71 53 36 69 78 75 96
1 to 49 workers........ 49 35 70 48 33 69 72 68 95
50 to 99 workers....... 68 48 71 66 46 69 88 85 97
100 workers or more...... 85 73 86 83 68 82 91 87 95
100 to 499 workers..... 80 64 80 79 61 77 87 83 95
500 workers or more.... 90 81 91 88 77 88 93 89 95
Geographic areas
New England.............. 66 55 83 63 50 80 86 83 97
Middle Atlantic.......... 72 62 86 69 58 84 92 86 94
East North Central....... 72 59 81 70 55 78 85 82 97
West North Central....... 73 60 81 70 55 79 89 81 91
South Atlantic........... 72 56 77 68 49 72 91 85 94
East South Central....... 73 56 77 69 49 71 90 86 96
West South Central....... 67 51 77 62 44 71 90 88 98
Mountain................. 69 55 80 66 50 76 89 86 97
Pacific.................. 68 55 82 63 49 77 92 89 97
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 participate 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 The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers
both above and below the threshold. The percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National
Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008." See Technical Note for more details.
NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.
Table 2. Medical care benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,(1) National Compensation Survey, March
2009
(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.............. 74 56 76 71 52 74 88 73 84
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 87 69 80 86 67 78 90 74 82
Management, business,
and financial.......... 94 76 81 94 76 81 - - -
Professional and
related................ 84 67 79 82 63 77 89 73 82
Teachers............. 84 67 80 - - - 89 73 82
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 92 73 80 - - - 95 77 82
Registered nurses.... 78 60 77 - - - 92 73 79
Service.................. 51 35 69 46 29 63 81 69 85
Protective service..... 75 60 80 56 36 65 89 77 87
Sales and office......... 73 53 72 72 51 70 88 75 84
Sales and related...... 63 41 65 63 41 65 - - -
Office and
administrative support 79 59 75 78 57 73 89 75 84
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 78 63 81 77 61 80 95 83 88
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 73 59 82 70 57 81 - - -
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 85 68 80 84 66 79 - - -
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 77 59 76 77 58 76 83 70 84
Production............. 82 66 81 82 66 81 - - -
Transportation and
material moving........ 72 52 71 72 51 71 - - -
Full time................ 88 68 77 86 65 75 99 83 84
Part time................ 24 14 58 24 13 56 27 19 71
Union.................... 92 78 84 90 76 85 95 80 84
Nonunion................. 70 51 73 69 49 72 81 68 83
Wage percentiles:(3)
Lowest 10 percent...... 26 13 51 25 13 50 51 40 78
Lowest 25 percent...... 42 25 59 38 22 57 68 56 81
Second 25 percent...... 79 58 74 77 54 71 91 79 86
Third 25 percent....... 87 69 80 86 67 78 95 79 84
Highest 25 perecent.... 92 74 81 89 72 81 97 80 83
Highest 10 percent..... 92 75 81 90 73 80 97 80 83
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 85 70 82 85 70 82 - - -
Service-providing
industries............... 71 53 74 68 48 71 88 73 83
Education and health
services............... 80 61 76 75 53 71 89 73 82
Educational services 86 70 81 78 58 75 88 72 82
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 88 70 80 - - - 89 72 81
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 87 73 83 90 71 79 86 74 86
Health care and
social assistance.... 76 55 72 74 53 71 91 76 83
Hospitals.......... 88 69 79 - - - 94 76 81
Public administration.. 88 76 86 - - - 88 76 86
1 to 99 workers.......... 60 43 72 59 42 72 75 64 86
1 to 49 workers........ 56 40 72 55 39 71 69 59 86
50 to 99 workers....... 72 53 73 71 51 72 85 73 85
100 workers or more...... 86 66 77 84 63 75 89 74 83
100 to 499 workers..... 81 61 75 81 59 73 84 72 86
500 workers or more.... 89 71 80 88 69 78 91 75 82
Geographic areas
New England.............. 72 53 73 70 50 71 85 69 81
Middle Atlantic.......... 75 59 79 72 55 76 87 78 90
East North Central....... 73 54 74 72 53 73 81 63 78
West North Central....... 71 54 77 68 52 75 83 68 82
South Atlantic........... 75 55 74 72 51 71 91 75 83
East South Central....... 78 60 78 74 56 75 93 79 84
West South Central....... 70 52 74 66 47 71 90 76 84
Mountain................. 72 51 71 69 48 70 87 69 79
Pacific.................. 75 59 79 72 56 78 90 77 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 The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers
both above and below the threshold. The percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National
Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008." See Technical Note for more details.
NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.
Table 3. Medical plans: Share of premiums paid by employer and employee for single
coverage, National Compensation Survey, March 2009
(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............ 82 18 80 20 90 10
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 84 16 81 19 90 10
Management, business,
and financial.......... 83 17 81 19 - -
Professional and
related................ 84 16 81 19 89 11
Teachers............. 89 11 - - 90 10
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 89 11 - - 90 10
Registered nurses.... 82 18 - - 87 13
Service.................. 82 18 78 22 90 10
Protective service..... 85 15 71 29 90 10
Sales and office......... 80 20 79 21 90 10
Sales and related...... 76 24 76 24 - -
Office and
administrative support 82 18 81 19 90 10
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 83 17 82 18 90 10
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 85 15 85 15 - -
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 81 19 80 20 - -
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 82 18 82 18 91 9
Production............. 82 18 82 18 - -
Transportation and
material moving........ 83 17 82 18 - -
Full time................ 83 17 81 19 90 10
Part time................ 79 21 78 22 88 12
Union.................... 91 9 90 10 91 9
Nonunion................. 80 20 79 21 89 11
Wage percentiles:(2)
Lowest 10 percent...... 75 25 75 25 89 11
Lowest 25 percent...... 77 23 76 24 90 10
Second 25 percent...... 81 19 79 21 90 10
Third 25 percent....... 83 17 81 19 90 10
Highest 25 perecent.... 85 15 83 17 90 10
Highest 10 percent..... 85 15 82 18 91 9
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 82 18 82 18 - -
Service-providing
industries............... 82 18 80 20 90 10
Education and health
services............... 85 15 82 18 90 10
Educational services 88 12 82 18 90 10
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 89 11 - - 90 10
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 87 13 80 20 90 10
Health care and
social assistance.... 83 17 82 18 87 13
Hospitals.......... 82 18 - - 88 12
Public administration.. 90 10 - - 90 10
1 to 99 workers.......... 81 19 80 20 91 9
1 to 49 workers........ 81 19 81 19 92 8
50 to 99 workers....... 81 19 79 21 91 9
100 workers or more...... 83 17 81 19 90 10
100 to 499 workers..... 82 18 80 20 90 10
500 workers or more.... 85 15 81 19 89 11
Geographic areas
New England.............. 79 21 78 22 87 13
Middle Atlantic.......... 84 16 82 18 93 7
East North Central....... 81 19 79 21 90 10
West North Central....... 82 18 80 20 91 9
South Atlantic........... 81 19 79 21 88 12
East South Central....... 81 19 78 22 91 9
West South Central....... 83 17 82 18 87 13
Mountain................. 82 18 79 21 92 8
Pacific.................. 85 15 84 16 89 11
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 The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation
surveyed, which may include workers both above and below the threshold. The
percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National Compensation
Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008." See Technical Note for
more details.
NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication
criteria.
Table 4. Medical plans: Share of premiums paid by employer and employee for family
coverage, National Compensation Survey, March 2009
(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............ 71 29 70 30 73 27
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 71 29 71 29 72 28
Management, business,
and financial.......... 72 28 71 29 - -
Professional and
related................ 71 29 71 29 71 29
Teachers............. 69 31 - - 70 30
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 67 33 - - 68 32
Registered nurses.... 71 29 - - 75 25
Service.................. 69 31 66 34 75 25
Protective service..... 76 24 66 34 79 21
Sales and office......... 68 32 67 33 76 24
Sales and related...... 65 35 64 36 - -
Office and
administrative support 70 30 69 31 75 25
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 72 28 71 29 76 24
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 73 27 72 28 - -
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 71 29 71 29 - -
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 74 26 74 26 75 25
Production............. 75 25 75 25 - -
Transportation and
material moving........ 73 27 73 27 - -
Full time................ 71 29 70 30 73 27
Part time................ 68 32 67 33 76 24
Union.................... 84 16 86 14 81 19
Nonunion................. 67 33 67 33 66 34
Wage percentiles:(2)
Lowest 10 percent...... 61 39 63 37 61 39
Lowest 25 percent...... 63 37 63 37 67 33
Second 25 percent...... 68 32 67 33 76 24
Third 25 percent....... 72 28 70 30 73 27
Highest 25 perecent.... 74 26 74 26 76 24
Highest 10 percent..... 76 24 74 26 81 19
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 75 25 75 25 - -
Service-providing
industries............... 70 30 68 32 73 27
Education and health
services............... 69 31 68 32 70 30
Educational services 69 31 68 32 69 31
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 68 32 - - 68 32
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 71 29 69 31 72 28
Health care and
social assistance.... 69 31 68 32 76 24
Hospitals.......... 74 26 - - 75 25
Public administration.. 79 21 - - 79 21
1 to 99 workers.......... 66 34 66 34 72 28
1 to 49 workers........ 66 34 66 34 71 29
50 to 99 workers....... 67 33 66 34 74 26
100 workers or more...... 73 27 73 27 73 27
100 to 499 workers..... 71 29 70 30 74 26
500 workers or more.... 75 25 76 24 73 27
Geographic areas
New England.............. 73 27 71 29 83 17
Middle Atlantic.......... 77 23 74 26 91 9
East North Central....... 75 25 73 27 85 15
West North Central....... 71 29 71 29 71 29
South Atlantic........... 66 34 66 34 66 34
East South Central....... 64 36 66 34 58 42
West South Central....... 63 37 66 34 54 46
Mountain................. 67 33 67 33 70 30
Pacific.................. 73 27 71 29 79 21
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 The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation
surveyed, which may include workers both above and below the threshold. The
percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National Compensation
Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008." See Technical Note for
more details.
NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication
criteria.
Table 5. Life insurance benefits: Access, participation, and take-up rates,(1) National Compensation Survey, March
2009
(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.............. 62 60 96 59 57 96 80 78 97
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 78 76 98 77 75 98 80 78 97
Management, business,
and financial.......... 85 84 99 85 84 99 - - -
Professional and
related................ 75 73 98 73 71 98 80 77 97
Teachers............. 74 72 98 - - - 79 77 97
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 78 77 98 - - - 83 81 98
Registered nurses.... 69 67 97 - - - 83 81 97
Service.................. 42 39 93 36 33 92 75 73 97
Protective service..... 72 70 97 54 51 94 85 83 98
Sales and office......... 61 58 96 59 56 95 81 79 97
Sales and related...... 48 45 92 48 44 92 - - -
Office and
administrative support 68 66 97 66 64 97 81 79 98
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 60 57 96 57 54 95 90 89 99
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 51 49 95 47 44 94 - - -
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 69 67 97 67 65 97 - - -
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 66 64 96 66 63 96 77 76 98
Production............. 72 70 97 72 70 97 - - -
Transportation and
material moving........ 61 58 96 60 57 95 - - -
Full time................ 76 73 97 73 70 96 90 88 98
Part time................ 16 15 90 15 14 89 24 22 95
Union.................... 83 81 98 79 77 98 87 85 98
Nonunion................. 59 56 96 57 54 96 74 71 97
Wage percentiles:(3)
Lowest 10 percent...... 17 15 87 17 15 87 43 41 95
Lowest 25 percent...... 32 29 90 28 25 89 61 59 97
Second 25 percent...... 66 63 96 64 61 95 84 81 97
Third 25 percent....... 74 72 97 71 69 97 86 84 98
Highest 25 perecent.... 82 81 98 79 78 99 89 87 98
Highest 10 percent..... 84 83 98 82 81 99 90 87 97
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 71 69 97 71 69 97 - - -
Service-providing
industries............... 61 58 96 56 54 96 80 77 97
Education and health
services............... 70 68 97 64 62 96 79 77 97
Educational services 77 75 98 68 67 99 79 77 97
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 76 75 98 - - - 78 76 98
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 84 80 96 86 85 99 82 77 94
Health care and
social assistance.... 65 62 96 63 61 96 83 80 97
Hospitals.......... 86 84 98 - - - 89 86 96
Public administration.. 82 80 98 - - - 82 80 98
1 to 99 workers.......... 44 42 95 43 41 95 65 63 97
1 to 49 workers........ 39 37 94 39 36 94 62 61 98
50 to 99 workers....... 57 54 96 56 53 96 69 66 96
100 workers or more...... 78 76 97 77 75 97 82 80 97
100 to 499 workers..... 71 68 96 71 68 95 73 71 98
500 workers or more.... 85 83 98 85 84 98 85 83 97
Geographic areas
New England.............. 60 58 97 58 56 97 72 69 96
Middle Atlantic.......... 60 59 98 56 55 98 85 84 99
East North Central....... 66 64 96 64 62 97 78 75 96
West North Central....... 63 61 97 60 58 97 77 77 99
South Atlantic........... 66 63 96 62 60 96 84 81 96
East South Central....... 67 64 95 64 61 96 79 74 93
West South Central....... 61 57 93 58 53 91 76 75 99
Mountain................. 61 57 95 57 53 94 83 82 98
Pacific.................. 57 55 96 53 51 96 77 76 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 The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers
both above and below the threshold. The percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National
Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008." See Technical Note for more details.
NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.
Table 6. Selected paid leave benefits: Access, National Compensation Survey, March 2009
(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.............. 66 75 76 61 78 77 89 60 68
Worker characteristics
Management, professional,
and related.............. 86 74 79 84 87 89 90 44 56
Management, business,
and financial.......... 90 94 95 89 96 96 - - -
Professional and
related................ 85 67 73 82 83 85 90 37 51
Teachers............. 84 17 35 - - - 88 12 32
Primary, secondary,
and special
education school
teachers........... 91 13 32 - - - 93 9 28
Registered nurses.... 78 80 82 - - - 92 79 81
Service.................. 49 63 57 42 61 53 85 75 77
Protective service..... 66 78 74 35 65 59 89 87 86
Sales and office......... 69 81 82 66 80 81 90 85 87
Sales and related...... 56 72 71 56 72 71 - - -
Office and
administrative support 76 86 88 74 86 88 91 86 87
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance.............. 53 78 79 49 76 77 94 95 95
Construction,
extraction, farming,
fishing, and forestry.. 39 66 67 33 63 64 - - -
Installation,
maintenance, and repair 69 91 92 67 91 91 - - -
Production,
transportation, and
material moving.......... 53 82 84 52 83 84 88 64 76
Production............. 53 90 91 52 90 91 - - -
Transportation and
material moving........ 54 75 77 52 76 78 - - -
Full time................ 77 86 87 73 91 89 98 67 75
Part time................ 28 36 38 26 38 39 42 20 31
Union.................... 82 73 79 69 85 86 97 57 70
Nonunion................. 63 76 75 61 77 76 83 62 66
Wage percentiles:(2)
Lowest 10 percent...... 22 43 37 21 42 36 60 39 46
Lowest 25 percent...... 37 56 54 33 55 52 75 55 63
Second 25 percent...... 68 83 84 64 85 84 92 84 87
Third 25 percent....... 77 88 89 73 89 89 94 72 77
Highest 25 perecent.... 86 77 80 81 88 88 96 37 51
Highest 10 percent..... 88 74 77 84 88 88 98 35 47
Establishment
characteristics
Goods-producing
industries............... 53 86 87 52 86 87 - - -
Service-providing
industries............... 68 73 74 63 76 75 89 60 68
Education and health
services............... 82 66 72 77 80 82 90 43 56
Educational services 87 40 54 76 54 64 90 36 51
Elementary and
secondary schools.. 90 27 44 - - - 90 27 43
Junior colleges,
colleges, and
universities....... 86 69 79 82 73 81 88 66 78
Health care and
social assistance.... 78 85 85 77 84 84 91 91 91
Hospitals.......... 88 91 89 - - - 92 94 93
Public administration.. 89 88 87 - - - 89 88 87
1 to 99 workers.......... 53 70 69 52 71 69 79 66 70
1 to 49 workers........ 52 69 68 51 69 68 73 69 69
50 to 99 workers....... 56 75 74 54 76 74 88 63 71
100 workers or more...... 77 79 81 72 86 86 91 59 67
100 to 499 workers..... 70 80 81 67 84 84 87 59 63
500 workers or more.... 84 78 82 80 90 89 92 59 69
Geographic areas
New England.............. 73 73 75 70 77 78 87 49 55
Middle Atlantic.......... 71 76 78 67 79 81 90 58 63
East North Central....... 60 74 76 56 78 77 85 53 65
West North Central....... 66 73 74 62 77 75 88 55 68
South Atlantic........... 64 78 78 59 80 78 93 67 78
East South Central....... 63 77 77 55 79 77 92 69 75
West South Central....... 65 75 75 61 79 80 86 52 53
Mountain................. 62 72 71 59 75 74 84 55 59
Pacific.................. 70 75 74 65 77 74 93 67 76
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 The percentile groupings are based on the average wage for each occupation surveyed, which may include workers
both above and below the threshold. The percentile values are based on the estimates published in the "National
Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008." See Technical Note for more details.
NOTE: Dash indicates no workers in this category or data did not meet publication criteria.
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 2009 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 late
summer, 2009. Data on detailed provisions of health insurance and retirement benefits in private industry for 2009
will be available in 2010. Previous publications containing information on employee benefits for private industry and
State and local government workers are available on the BLS website http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs.
Calculation details
Averages for occupations within an establishment were used to produce estimates for worker groups averaging hourly
pay within the six earnings percentiles: Lowest 10 percent, lowest 25 percent, second 25 percent, third 25 percent,
highest 25 percent, and highest 10 percent. The percentiles are 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 percentile estimates, the individual worker hourly earnings
are appropriately weighted and then arrayed from lowest to highest.
The published 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles designate position in the earnings distribution within
each published occupation. At the 50th percentile, the median, half of the hours are paid the same as or more than the
rate shown in the data tables, and half are paid the same as or less than the rate shown. At the 25th percentile, one-fourth
of the hours are paid the same as or less than the rate shown. At the 75th percentile, one-fourth are paid the same as or
more than the rate shown. The 10th and 90th percentiles follow the same logic. The percentile values are based on wages
to be published in the bulletin National Compensation Survey: Occupational Earnings in the United States, 2008. Values
corresponding to the percentiles used in the tables are as follows:
Characteristics Hourly wage percentiles
10 25 50 (median) 75 90
Civilian workers $8.24 $11.00 $16.25 $25.48 $37.86
Private industry workers $8.00 $10.50 $15.50 $24.22 $36.43
State and local government workers $11.35 $14.98 $21.43 $31.55 $43.23
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.
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 scope
The March 2009 NCS benefits survey represented about 122 million civilian workers; of this number, about 102 million
were private industry workers and 19 million, State and local government workers (see Appendix table 2). For purposes of
this study, a private establishment is an economic unit that produces goods or services, a central administrative office,
or an auxiliary unit providing support services to a company. For private industries, the establishment is usually at
a single physical location. For State and local governments, an establishment is defined as an agency or entity such as
a school district, college, university, hospital, nursing home, administrative body, court, police department, fire
department, health or social service operation, highway maintenance operation, urban transit operation, or other
governmental unit. It provides services under the authority of a specific State or local government organization within
a defined geographic area or jurisdiction. The survey sample weights were adjusted to reflect the March 2009 employment
figures from the Current Employment Statistics survey.
The nine census divisions are defined as follows: New England--Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic--New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; East North Central--Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central--Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South
Dakota; South Atlantic--Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia,
and West Virginia; East South Central--Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central--Arkansas,
Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; Mountain--Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and
Pacific--Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Sample design and data collection
The sample for this survey was selected by using a 3-stage design. The first stage involved the selection of areas.
The NCS State and local government sample consists of 152 areas that represent the Nation’s 361 metropolitan statistical
areas and 573 micropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget in December 2003, and
the remaining portions of the 50 States. The private industry sample has begun the transition to the December 2003
definition with replacement of one-fifth of the sample under the new area definitions; the private industry sample currently
consists of 227 areas.
In the second stage, the sample of establishments was drawn by first stratifying the sampling frame by industry and
implicitly by establishment size. The list of establishments from which the survey sample was selected was developed
from State unemployment insurance reports and is based on the 2007 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
The third stage of sample selection was the drawing of a probability sample of occupations within a sampled
establishment. Identification of the occupations for which data were to be collected was a 4-step process:
1. Probability-proportional-to-size selection of establishment jobs
2. Classification of jobs into occupations based on the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
system
3. Characterization of jobs as full time vs. part time, union vs. nonunion, and time versus incentive
4. Determination of the level of work of each job
For additional technical information, see the BLS Handbook of Methods, available online at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/home.htm.
Definition of terms
Civilian workers. Private industry and State and local government workers.
Full-time worker. Any employee whom the employer considers to be full time.
Part-time worker. Any employee whom the employer considers to be part time.
Nonunion worker. An employee in an occupation not meeting the conditions for union coverage.
Union worker. Any employee is in a union occupation when all of the following conditions are met:
* A labor organization is recognized as the bargaining agent for all workers in the occupation.
* Wage and salary rates are determined through collective bargaining or negotiations.
* Settlement terms, which must include earnings provisions and may include benefit provisions, are
embodied in a signed, mutually binding collective bargaining agreement
Survey estimation methods
The survey uses an estimator that assigns the inverse of each sample unit’s probability of selection as a weight
to the unit’s data at each stage of sample selection and four weight adjustment factors. The first factor adjusts for
establishment nonresponse and the second factor adjusts for occupational nonresponse. The third factor adjusts for any
special situations that may have occurred during data collection. The fourth factor, poststratification, also called
benchmarking, is introduced to adjust the estimated employment totals to actual counts of employment by industry for
the survey reference date.
For additional technical information, see the BLS Handbook of Methods, available online at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/home.htm.
Reliability of estimates
The statistics in this summary are estimates derived from a sample of usable occupation quotes selected from the
responding establishments. They are not tabulations based on data from all employees in establishments within the scope
of the survey. Consequently, the data are subject to sampling and nonsampling errors.
Sampling errors are the differences that can arise between results derived from a sample and those computed from
observations of all units in the population being studied. The sample used for this survey is one of a number of possible
samples of the same size that could have been selected using the sample design. Estimates derived from the different samples
would differ from one another.
A measure of the variation among these differing estimates is the standard error. It can be used to measure the precision
with which an estimate from a particular sample approximates the expected result of all possible samples. The chances are
about 68 out of 100 that an estimate from the survey differs from a complete population figure by less than the standard
error. The chances are about 90 out of 100 that this difference would be less than 1.6 times the standard error. The
statements of comparison appearing in this publication are significant at a 1.6 standard error level or better. This means
that for differences cited, the estimated difference is greater than 1.6 times the standard error of the difference.
Standard errors can be used to evaluate published series. To assist users in ascertaining the reliability of series, the
standard errors for all estimates are available on the BLS Web site http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs.
Nonsampling errors also affect survey results. They can be attributed to many sources, such as the inability to obtain
information for some establishments, difficulties with survey definitions, inability of the respondents to provide correct
information; or mistakes in recording or coding the data obtained. Although they were not specifically measured, the
nonsampling errors were expected to be minimal due to the extensive training of the field economists who gathered the survey
data, computer edits of the data, and detailed data review.
Survey response
The March 2009 benefits survey included a sample of 18,287 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: occupational characteristics (full- vs. part-time schedule, union vs. nonunion status, and
time vs. incentive pay type), work schedule, and wage data.
Refused or unable to provide data. The establishment did not provide earnings, occupational classification, worker characteristics,
and work schedule data for any occupation.
Out of business or not in survey scope. The establishment is no longer in operation, following a bankruptcy, for example.
Establishments not in the survey scope include farm and private households, the self-employed, the Federal government, and
locations of an establishment out of the sampled area. Also excluded are establishments with no workers within the survey
scope (if all employees are also owners, for example).
Obtaining information
For research articles on employee benefits, see the Monthly Labor Review or Compensation and Working Conditions Online at
the BLS Web sites http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/home.htm and http://www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/home.htm. For more detailed information
on the NAICS and SOC classification systems, including background information, see the BLS Web sites
http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm and http://www.bls.gov/soc/home.htm.
Additional information about the NCS may be obtained by calling (202) 691–6199. You may also write to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, Division of Compensation Data Analysis and Planning, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Room 4175, Washington, D.C.
20212–0001, or send e-mail to NCSinfo@bls.gov. The data contained in this summary are also available on the BLS Internet
site: http://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs. Users may access benefits data from previous surveys through a variety of tools available
on the same page. Material in this summary is in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without
permission. This information will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. Voice telephone:
(202) 691–5200; Federal Relay Service: 1–800–877–8339.
Appendix table 1. Survey establishment response,
National Compensation Survey, March 2009
State and
Establishments Total Private local
industry governme-
nts
Total in sampling
frame(1).............. 5,389,642 5,174,044 215,598
Total in sample..... 18,287 16,265 2,022
Responding........ 10,570 8,782 1,788
Refused or unable
to provide data....... 4,979 4,766 213
Out of business or
not in survey scope... 2,738 2,717 21
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.
Appendix table 2. Number of workers(1) represented,
National Compensation Survey, March 2009
State and
Civilian Private local
Occupational group(2) workers industry governme-
workers nt
workers
All workers........... 121695200 102319600 19375600
Management,
professional, and
related............. 34980300 24291000 10689200
Management,
business, and
financial......... 9,414,900 7,783,200 1,631,600
Professional and
related........... 25565400 16507800 9,057,600
Teachers........ 6,301,600 - 4,964,500
Primary,
secondary, and
special
education
school
teachers...... 4,294,000 - 3,695,200
Registered
nurses.......... 2,679,700 2,316,200 363,500
Service............. 25667100 21548200 4,118,900
Protective service 3,225,000 1,363,700 1,861,300
Sales and office.... 32157100 29352100 2,805,000
Sales and related 12016500 11867400 149,100
Office and
administrative
support........... 20140600 17484700 2,655,800
Natural resources,
construction, and
maintenance......... 10660700 9,679,400 981,300
Construction,
extraction,
farming, fishing,
and forestry...... 5,575,200 5,023,700 551,500
Installation,
maintenance, and
repair............ 5,085,500 4,655,700 429,900
Production,
transportation, and
material moving..... 18230000 17448800 781,200
Production........ 8,981,800 8,851,900 129,900
Transportation and
material moving... 9,248,200 8,596,900 651,300
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: Dashes indicate that no data were reported or
that data did not meet publication criteria.
United States Department of Labor
