September 18, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Average compensation $23.20 per hour in June

In June 2002, employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers in the United States averaged $23.20 per hour worked.

[Chart data—TXT]

Wages and salaries, which averaged $16.78, accounted for 72.3 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $6.41, accounted for the remainder.

Legally required benefits were $1.82 per hour on average, representing the largest non-wage employer cost. Employer costs for paid leave benefits were $1.59 per hour, insurance benefits $1.63 per hour, and retirement and savings benefits 78 cents per hour.

These data are from the BLS Employment Cost Trends program. Additional information is available from "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2002," news release USDL 02-518. Civilian workers include private industry and State and local government workers. 

Note: The publication schedule for the "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation" news release has changed from an annual March release to a quarterly publication. Future releases will be issued for March, June, September, and December.