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Economic News Release
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Table 1. By ownership

Table 1. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation by ownership [Mar. 2026]
Compensation component Civilian workers(1) Private industry
workers		 State and local
government workers
Cost ($) Percent of
compensation		 Cost ($) Percent of
compensation		 Cost ($) Percent of
compensation

Total compensation(2)

 49.32 100.0 46.60 100.0 66.41 100.0

Wages and salaries

 33.72 68.4 32.60 69.9 40.82 61.5

Total benefits

 15.60 31.6 14.01 30.1 25.59 38.5

Paid leave

 3.72 7.5 3.54 7.6 4.86 7.3

Vacation

 1.77 3.6 1.77 3.8 1.80 2.7

Holiday

 1.09 2.2 1.04 2.2 1.41 2.1

Sick

 0.61 1.2 0.50 1.1 1.25 1.9

Personal

 0.26 0.5 0.23 0.5 0.40 0.6

Supplemental pay

 1.74 3.5 1.90 4.1 0.69 1.0

Overtime and premium(3)

 0.42 0.9 0.44 0.9 0.33 0.5

Shift differentials

 0.09 0.2 0.10 0.2 0.07 0.1

Nonproduction bonuses

 1.22 2.5 1.37 2.9 0.29 0.4

Insurance

 4.18 8.5 3.62 7.8 7.70 11.6

Life

 0.06 0.1 0.05 0.1 0.08 0.1

Health

 3.98 8.1 3.41 7.3 7.52 11.3

Short-term disability

 0.09 0.2 0.10 0.2 0.04 0.1

Long-term disability

 0.05 0.1 0.05 0.1 0.06 0.1

Retirement and savings

 2.56 5.2 1.57 3.4 8.83 13.3

Defined benefit

 1.48 3.0 0.40 0.9 8.22 12.4

Defined contribution

 1.09 2.2 1.16 2.5 0.60 0.9

Legally Required benefits

 3.39 6.9 3.38 7.2 3.51 5.3

Social Security and Medicare

 2.78 5.6 2.78 6.0 2.81 4.2

Social Security(4)

 2.22 4.5 2.23 4.8 2.14 3.2

Medicare

 0.56 1.1 0.55 1.2 0.67 1.0

Federal unemployment insurance

 0.03 0.1 0.03 0.1 (5)- (6)-

State unemployment insurance

 0.13 0.3 0.15 0.3 0.06 0.1

Workers' compensation

 0.45 0.9 0.42 0.9 0.63 1.0

Footnotes
(1) Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal government.
(2) Includes costs for wages and salaries and benefits.
(3) Includes premium pay for work (such as overtime, weekends, and holidays) in addition to the regular work schedule.
(4) Social Security refers to the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program.
(5) Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less.
(6) Less than .05 percent.
Table of Contents
Last Modified Date: June 12, 2026