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Median weekly earnings of the nation's 120.9 million full-time wage and salary workers were $1,251 in the second quarter of 2026. This was 4.6 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 3.9 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 3.3 percent from June 2025 to June 2026. The 12-month change in private industry compensation costs was 3.5 percent in June 2025 and 3.9 percent in June 2024. Since 2016, increases in compensation costs have ranged from 1.8 percent (in March 2016) to 5.5 percent (June 2022) over the year.

From September 2025 to December 2025, gross job gains from private-sector establishments were 7.8 million, an increase of 363,000 jobs from the previous quarter. Gross job losses were 7.2 million, 389,000 jobs less than the prior quarter. The difference between gross job gains and gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 593,000.

Of the 56 metropolitan areas with a 2020 Census population of 1 million or more, 27 large areas had unemployment rate decreases from June 2025 to June 2026, 26 had increases, and 3 had no change. The largest rate decrease occurred in Columbus, Ohio (−1.2 percentage points). The largest rate increase occurred in Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut (1.3 percentage points).