Average compensation costs exceed $27 per hour

Private industry employers spent an average of $27.42 per hour worked for total employee compensation in Dec. 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

Wages and salaries averaged $19.41 per hour worked and accounted for 70.8 percent of these costs, while benefits averaged $8.00 and accounted for the remaining 29.2 percent.

Total compensation costs for state and local government workers averaged $39.60 per hour worked in Dec. 2009.

Total employer compensation costs for civilian workers, which include private industry and state and local government workers, averaged $29.37 per hour worked in Dec. 2009.

Private industry employer costs for paid leave benefits averaged $1.86 per hour worked. Private industry paid leave benefit costs were highest for management, professional and related occupations, $4.05 per hour, or 8.4 percent of total compensation, in Dec. 2009. Costs were lowest among service occupations, 58 cents, or 4.2 percent of total compensation.