Compensation costs for state and local government workers, September 2011

For the 12-month period ending in September 2011, compensation costs for state and local government workers increased 1.5 percent (not seasonally adjusted). Values for this series—which began in June 1982—have ranged from the current period's 1.5 percent to 9.6 percent in June 1982.

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Wages and salaries increased 1.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in September 2011, down from a 1.2-percent increase for the 12-month period ending in September 2010. This increase was a series low for a series that began in June 1982, when the 12-month percent change was at its highest (8.5 percent).

For the 12-month period ending in September 2011, benefit costs increased 2.5 percent, down from a 2.8-percent increase for the 12-month period ending in September 2010. Prior values for this series ranged from 1.2 percent in December 1997 to 8.3 percent in June 1990 when the series began.

These data are from the BLS Employment Cost Trends program. To learn more, see "Employment Cost Index — September 2011" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-11-1546. The Employment Cost Index (ECI) measures the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. Benefits costs include paid leave, supplemental leave, insurance benefits, retirement and savings, and legally required benefits. Paid leave include employer cost for vacations, holidays, sick leave, and personal leave.