Health care 5½ percent of compensation

In March 2000, private industry health benefit costs averaged $1.09 per hour or 5.5 percent of total compensation.

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In goods-producing industries, health benefit costs were $1.62 per hour (6.9 percent of total compensation) compared with 92 cents (4.9 percent of total compensation) for service-producing industries.

Employer costs for health benefits ranged from 42 cents and 4.3 percent of total compensation for service occupations to $1.28 per hour and 6.8 percent of total compensation for blue-collar occupations. In white-collar occupations, employer costs for health benefits averaged $1.21 (5.0 percent).

These data are a product of the BLS Employment Cost Trends program. Additional information is available from "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, March 2000," news release USDL 00-186.