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In June 2019, benefits costs at private business establishments with fewer than 50 workers averaged $7.08 per hour worked (25.4 percent of total compensation) for benefits, compared with $17.52 per hour worked (35.1 percent of total compensation) for establishments with 500 or more workers. Regardless of establishment size, average benefits costs were higher and were a larger share of total compensation in goods-producing establishments than in service-providing establishments.
Establishment size | Total compensation(1) | Wages and salaries | Total benefits | Paid leave | Supplemental pay | Insurance | Retirement and savings | Legally required benefits | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | Percent | Cost | |
All workers |
||||||||||||||||
1–49 workers |
100.0% | $27.87 | 74.6% | $20.79 | 25.4% | $7.08 | 5.9% | $1.65 | 2.4% | $0.66 | 6.2% | $1.74 | 2.4% | $0.68 | 8.4% | $2.34 |
50–99 workers |
100.0 | 30.33 | 71.9 | 21.81 | 28.1 | 8.52 | 6.5 | 1.96 | 2.5 | 0.77 | 7.8 | 2.35 | 3.1 | 0.95 | 8.2 | 2.49 |
100–499 workers |
100.0 | 35.64 | 69.0 | 24.60 | 31.0 | 11.04 | 7.4 | 2.62 | 3.3 | 1.16 | 8.8 | 3.12 | 4.0 | 1.42 | 7.6 | 2.72 |
500 workers or more |
100.0 | 49.90 | 64.9 | 32.37 | 35.1 | 17.52 | 8.8 | 4.37 | 4.5 | 2.27 | 9.5 | 4.75 | 5.6 | 2.77 | 6.7 | 3.37 |
Goods-producing(2) |
||||||||||||||||
1–49 workers |
100.0 | 32.12 | 72.1 | 23.16 | 27.9 | 8.96 | 4.7 | 1.52 | 3.2 | 1.04 | 6.9 | 2.21 | 3.1 | 1.01 | 9.9 | 3.19 |
50–99 workers |
100.0 | 36.03 | 67.7 | 24.38 | 32.3 | 11.65 | 5.6 | 2.02 | 3.4 | 1.24 | 10.1 | 3.63 | 4.2 | 1.53 | 9.0 | 3.23 |
100–499 workers |
100.0 | 40.99 | 66.4 | 27.20 | 33.6 | 13.79 | 6.8 | 2.78 | 4.1 | 1.69 | 9.8 | 4.03 | 4.7 | 1.92 | 8.2 | 3.36 |
500 workers or more |
100.0 | 53.68 | 62.1 | 33.34 | 37.9 | 20.34 | 8.0 | 4.28 | 5.8 | 3.11 | 10.4 | 5.57 | 6.8 | 3.64 | 7.0 | 3.74 |
Service-providing(3) |
||||||||||||||||
1-49 workers |
100.0 | 27.20 | 75.1 | 20.42 | 24.9 | 6.79 | 6.2 | 1.67 | 2.2 | 0.61 | 6.1 | 1.67 | 2.3 | 0.63 | 8.1 | 2.21 |
50-99 workers |
100.0 | 29.12 | 73.0 | 21.26 | 27.0 | 7.86 | 6.7 | 1.95 | 2.3 | 0.67 | 7.1 | 2.08 | 2.8 | 0.83 | 8.0 | 2.33 |
100-499 workers |
100.0 | 34.24 | 69.9 | 23.92 | 30.1 | 10.32 | 7.5 | 2.58 | 3.0 | 1.02 | 8.4 | 2.88 | 3.8 | 1.29 | 7.5 | 2.55 |
500 workers or more |
100.0 | 48.99 | 65.6 | 32.14 | 34.4 | 16.84 | 9.0 | 4.39 | 4.2 | 2.06 | 9.3 | 4.55 | 5.2 | 2.57 | 6.7 | 3.28 |
Footnotes: |
Business establishments with fewer than 50 workers averaged $0.68 per hour worked (2.4 percent of total compensation) for retirement and savings benefits in June 2019, compared with $2.77 (5.6 percent) for those with 500 or more employees. Regardless of establishment size, average benefits costs for insurance were higher and were a larger share of total compensation in goods-producing establishments than in service-providing establishments.
These data are from the Employment Cost Trends program. To learn more, see "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — June 2019." We also have more charts on employer costs for employee compensation.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Benefits in businesses with 500 or more workers were 35 percent of total compensation in June 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/benefits-in-businesses-with-500-or-more-workers-were-35-percent-of-total-compensation-in-june-2019.htm (visited November 07, 2024).