Private industry workers experienced average compensation costs of $46.60 per hour worked in March 2026, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This total comprised $32.60 per hour for wages and salaries, alongside $14.01 per hour dedicated to benefits.
The report also highlighted the distribution of these costs across various wage percentiles. Compensation costs stood at $18.06 per hour for workers at the 10th percentile, increased to $34.78 at the median, and reached $89.70 per hour for those at the 90th percentile.