Employer Costs for Employee Compensation News Release — 2020-09-17

Employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers averaged $38.20 per hour worked in June 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries cost employers $26.17 while benefit costs were $12.04. The average cost for health insurance benefits was $3.18 per hour worked. (See table 1.) Private industry worker compensation costs for employers averaged $35.96 per hour worked in June 2020. Wages and salaries averaged $25.18 and accounted for 70.0 percent of employer costs, while benefit costs averaged $10.79 and accounted for 30.0 percent. The average cost of health insurance benefits was $2.73 per hour worked and accounted for 7.6 percent of total compensation in June 2020. (See table 1.) State and local government worker compensation costs for employers averaged $52.36 per hour worked in June 2020. Wages and salaries averaged $32.43 and accounted for 61.9 percent of employer costs, while benefit costs averaged $19.93 and accounted for 38.1 percent.