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In September 2020, state and local government compensation costs averaged $52.94 per hour worked. Wages and salaries averaged $32.74 per hour worked and represented 61.8 percent of total compensation costs, while benefit costs averaged $20.20 and accounted for the remaining 38.2 percent.
Occupation and industry | Total compensation | Wages and salaries | Total benefits |
---|---|---|---|
All workers |
$52.94 | $32.74 | $20.20 |
Occupation |
|||
Management, professional, and related |
63.49 | 40.68 | 22.80 |
Sales and office |
36.90 | 21.12 | 15.79 |
Service |
39.30 | 22.37 | 16.93 |
Industry |
|||
Education and health services |
55.27 | 35.51 | 19.76 |
Educational services |
56.80 | 36.75 | 20.05 |
Elementary and secondary schools |
55.36 | 35.86 | 19.50 |
Junior colleges, colleges, and universities |
61.16 | 39.45 | 21.71 |
Health care and social assistance |
46.88 | 28.74 | 18.13 |
Hospitals |
49.53 | 30.91 | 18.61 |
Public administration |
51.31 | 29.40 | 21.91 |
Among state and local government industries in September 2020, total compensation costs were $51.31 per hour worked in public administration and $55.27 in education and health services. Wages and salaries were $30.91 in hospitals and $39.45 in junior colleges, colleges, and universities.
These data are from the Employment Cost Trends program. Estimates of employer costs for health insurance are not available for some industries. To learn more, see "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — September 2020." We also have more charts on employer costs for employee compensation.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, State and local government compensation costs average $52.94 per hour worked in September 2020 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/state-and-local-government-compensation-costs-average-52-94-per-hour-worked-in-september-2020.htm (visited March 28, 2025).