March 02, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Compensation of State and local government employees at end of 2003

In December 2003, employer costs for employee compensation averaged $33.91 per hour worked in State and local government.

[Chart data—TXT]

Wages and salaries averaged $23.56 per hour, while benefits averaged $10.35.

Employer costs for insurance benefits averaged $3.39 per hour, representing the largest non-wage cost. Legally required benefits, such as Social Security and unemployment insurance, were $1.99 per hour on average. Paid leave benefits averaged $2.58 per hour, retirement and savings benefits $2.03 per hour, and supplemental pay 29 cents per hour.

These data are from the BLS Compensation Cost Trends program. Additional information is available from "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, December 2003" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-288.