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Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 4.0 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2021, compared with an increase of 2.5 percent for the 12 months ending December 2020.
Quarter | Total compensation |
Wages and salaries |
Benefits |
---|---|---|---|
Mar 2011 |
2.0% | 1.6% | 3.0% |
Jun 2011 |
2.2 | 1.6 | 3.6 |
Sep 2011 |
2.0 | 1.6 | 3.2 |
Dec 2011 |
2.0 | 1.4 | 3.2 |
Mar 2012 |
1.9 | 1.7 | 2.7 |
Jun 2012 |
1.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 |
Sep 2012 |
1.9 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
Dec 2012 |
1.9 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
Mar 2013 |
1.9 | 1.6 | 2.4 |
Jun 2013 |
1.9 | 1.7 | 2.2 |
Sep 2013 |
1.9 | 1.6 | 2.2 |
Dec 2013 |
2.0 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
Mar 2014 |
1.8 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
Jun 2014 |
2.0 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
Sep 2014 |
2.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
Dec 2014 |
2.2 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
Mar 2015 |
2.6 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
Jun 2015 |
2.0 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
Sep 2015 |
2.0 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
Dec 2015 |
2.0 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
Mar 2016 |
1.9 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
Jun 2016 |
2.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
Sep 2016 |
2.3 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
Dec 2016 |
2.2 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
Mar 2017 |
2.4 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
Jun 2017 |
2.4 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
Sep 2017 |
2.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
Dec 2017 |
2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
Mar 2018 |
2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
Jun 2018 |
2.8 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
Sep 2018 |
2.8 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
Dec 2018 |
2.9 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
Mar 2019 |
2.8 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
Jun 2019 |
2.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
Sep 2019 |
2.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
Dec 2019 |
2.7 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
Mar 2020 |
2.8 | 3.1 | 2.1 |
Jun 2020 |
2.7 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
Sep 2020 |
2.4 | 2.5 | 2.3 |
Dec 2020 |
2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
Mar 2021 |
2.6 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
Jun 2021 |
2.9 | 3.2 | 2.2 |
Sep 2021 |
3.7 | 4.2 | 2.5 |
Dec 2021 |
4.0 | 4.5 | 2.8 |
Wages and salaries increased 4.5 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2021 and increased 2.6 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2020.
Benefit costs increased 2.8 percent over the year and increased 2.3 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2020.
Over the past decade, the 12-month change in total compensation costs has ranged from 1.7 percent (in June 2012) to 4.0 percent (December 2021). The 12-month change in wages and salaries has ranged from 1.4 percent (December 2011) to 4.5 percent (December 2021). The 12-month change in benefits costs has ranged from 1.7 percent (during December 2015 and March 2016) to 3.6 percent (June 2011).
These data are from the Employment Cost Trends program. To learn more, see "Employment Cost Index — December 2021." Also see more charts on the Employment Cost Index. Civilian workers is defined as all private industry workers plus all state and local government workers. Total compensation costs are the sum of wages and salaries plus benefits costs.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Compensation costs up 4.0 percent from December 2020 to December 2021 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/compensation-costs-up-4-0-percent-from-december-2020-to-december-2021.htm (visited October 15, 2024).