June 28, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Compensation cost by establishment size

Establishments with more employees paid more per employee hour in compensation costs in March 2004.

Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation, by industry, March 2004
[Chart data—TXT]

Establishments with fewer than 50 workers averaged $19.37 per hour, while those with 50-99 workers averaged $19.81. Establishments with 100-499 employees averaged $23.91, and those with 500 or more employees averaged $32.54.

These data are from the BLS Compensation Cost Trends program. Compensation costs (also known as employment costs) include wages, salaries, and employer costs for employee benefits. For more information, see "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, March 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-1105.