News Release Information
26-1306-SAN
Wednesday, August 05, 2026
Changing Compensation Costs in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area — June 2026
Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 3.3 percent in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ending in June 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that one year ago, Los Angeles experienced an annual gain of 3.9 percent in compensation costs. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Nationwide, compensation costs rose 3.3 percent in June 2026.
Chart 1. Twelve-month percent changes in total compensation for private industry workers in the United States and Los Angeles, not seasonally adjusted| Quarter | United States | Los Angeles |
|---|
Jun 2024 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
|---|
Sep | 3.6 | 4.6 |
|---|
Dec | 3.6 | 4.2 |
|---|
Mar | 3.4 | 4.1 |
|---|
Jun 2025 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
|---|
Sep | 3.5 | 3.4 |
|---|
Dec | 3.4 | 3.3 |
|---|
Mar | 3.4 | 3.5 |
|---|
Jun 2026 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
|---|
Locally, wages and salaries, the largest component of compensation costs, advanced at a 2.8-percent pace for the 12-month period ended June 2026. (See chart 2.) Nationwide, wages and salaries rose 3.1 percent over the same period.
Chart 2. Twelve-month percent changes in wages and salaries for private industry workers in the United States and Los Angeles, not seasonally adjusted| Quarter | United States | Los Angeles |
|---|
Jun 2024 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
|---|
Sep | 3.8 | 4.8 |
|---|
Dec | 3.7 | 4.3 |
|---|
Mar | 3.4 | 4.4 |
|---|
Jun 2025 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
|---|
Sep | 3.6 | 3.4 |
|---|
Dec | 3.3 | 3.2 |
|---|
Mar | 3.4 | 3.1 |
|---|
Jun 2026 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
|---|
Los Angeles is 1 of 15 metropolitan areas in the United States and 1 of 4 areas in the West region of the country for which locality compensation cost data are available. Among these 15 largest areas, over-the-year percentage changes in compensation costs ranged from 4.2 percent in Phoenix-Mesa to 1.7 percent in Minneapolis-St. Paul in June 2026; for wages and salaries, Phoenix registered the largest increase (4.1 percent), and Minneapolis registered the smallest (1.3 percent). (See chart 3.)
Chart 3. Twelve-month percent changes in total compensation and wages and salaries for private industry workers by area, not seasonally adjusted, June 2026| Area | Total compensation | Wages and salaries |
|---|
Minneapolis | 1.7 | 1.3 |
|---|
Atlanta | 2.7 | 2.6 |
|---|
Dallas | 2.7 | 2.5 |
|---|
Boston | 2.8 | 2.3 |
|---|
Houston | 2.8 | 2.7 |
|---|
United States | 3.3 | 3.1 |
|---|
Los Angeles | 3.3 | 2.8 |
|---|
New York | 3.3 | 3.1 |
|---|
Philadelphia | 3.3 | 3.1 |
|---|
Detroit | 3.4 | 3.2 |
|---|
Miami | 3.6 | 3.5 |
|---|
San Jose | 3.6 | 3.5 |
|---|
Washington | 3.6 | 3.8 |
|---|
Chicago | 3.9 | 3.9 |
|---|
Seattle | 4.0 | 3.5 |
|---|
Phoenix | 4.2 | 4.1 |
|---|
The annual increase in compensation costs in Los Angeles was 3.3 percent in June 2026, compared to advances that ranged from 3.6 percent to 4.2 percent in the three other metropolitan areas in the West (Phoenix, San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, and Seattle-Tacoma). Los Angeles’ 2.8-percent gain in wages and salaries over this 12-month period compared to rates ranging from 3.5 percent to 4.1 percent in the three other western localities. (See table 2.)
The Employment Cost Index for October 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
Relative Importance EstimatesBeginning with the publication of Employment Cost Index (ECI) data for June 2026, relative importance estimates for select ECI series will be available in the public database with each ECI publication. Historical relative importance estimates will be available for March 2026; no further historical estimates will be provided. For more information, see Relative importance: putting the Employment Cost Index (ECI) into perspective.
Updated Fixed Employment WeightsBeginning with the publication of Employment Cost Index (ECI) data for December 2026, the ECI will introduce updated employment weights and remove workers’ compensation costs. For more information, see notice on weights and workers' compensation.
Technical Note
Locality compensation costs are part of the national Employment Cost Index (ECI), which measures quarterly changes in compensation costs (wages and salaries and employer costs for employee benefits) free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. More information can be found in the national Employment Cost Index Technical Note. For information on survey concepts, coverage, methods, nonresponse adjustment, and imputation see the Employment Cost Index Handbook of Methods.
In addition to the data presented here, ECI national data by industry, occupational group, and union status, as well as data for civilian, private, and state and local government employees, are available on the Employment Cost Index website. The national Employment Cost Index Summary is also available online. Additional information for regions, states, and local areas may be accessed via our Western Information Office regional homepage.
The substate area data published in this news release reflect the Office of Management and Budget Bulletin No. 23-01, dated July 21, 2023. See the Tracking Wage Growth in American Cities page for more information on available geographies and their historical timelines.
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA CSA includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties in California.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Table 1. Employment Cost Index 12-month percent changes for total compensation and for wages and salaries, private industry workers, United States, West Census region, and the Los Angeles area, not seasonally adjusted| Area | Total compensation (%) | Wages and salaries (%) |
|---|
| Mar. | Jun. | Sep. | Dec. | Mar. | Jun. | Sep. | Dec. |
|---|
United States | |
|---|
2022 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 5.1 |
|---|
2023 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
|---|
2024 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
|---|
2025 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.3 |
|---|
2026 | 3.4 | 3.3 | | | 3.4 | 3.1 | | |
|---|
West | |
|---|
2022 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.7 |
|---|
2023 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
|---|
2024 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
|---|
2025 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 |
|---|
2026 | 3.6 | 3.6 | | | 3.3 | 3.2 | | |
|---|
Los Angeles-Long Beach | |
|---|
2022 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 5.9 |
|---|
2023 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
|---|
2024 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.3 |
|---|
2025 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
|---|
2026 | 3.5 | 3.3 | | | 3.1 | 2.8 | | |
|---|
Table 2. Employment Cost Index 12-month percent changes for total compensation and for wages and salaries, private industry workers, United States, Census regions, and localities, not seasonally adjusted| Area | Total compensation (%) | Wages and salaries (%) |
|---|
| Jun. 2025 | Mar. 2026 | Jun. 2026 | Jun. 2025 | Mar. 2026 | Jun. 2026 |
|---|
United States | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
|---|
Northeast | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
|---|
Boston-Worcester-Providence | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
|---|
New York-Newark | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
|---|
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 3.1 |
|---|
South | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
|---|
Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
|---|
Dallas-Fort Worth | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
|---|
Houston-Pasadena | 4.9 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 5.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
|---|
Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale | 3.0 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 3.5 |
|---|
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
|---|
Midwest | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 |
|---|
Chicago-Naperville | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
|---|
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor | 2.1 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
|---|
Minneapolis-St. Paul | 5.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 |
|---|
West | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 |
|---|
Los Angeles-Long Beach | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
|---|
Phoenix-Mesa | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 |
|---|
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
|---|
Seattle-Tacoma | 4.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
|---|
United States Department of Labor
