Private industry compensation costs were $15.91 at the 10th percentile in March 2023

Employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $40.79 per hour worked in March 2023. Private industry compensation costs were $15.91 at the 10th percentile, $30.26 at the 50th percentile (median), and $78.42 at the 90th percentile.

After adjusting for consumer price inflation in 2023 dollars, private compensation costs at the 10th percentile were $13.26 in March 2014, compared with $15.91 in March 2023. Inflation-adjusted wages and salaries at the 10th percentile were $10.66 in March 2014 and $12.97 in March 2023. For the 50th percentile, inflation-adjusted wages and salaries were $19.93 in March 2014 and $21.20 in March 2023. The inflation-adjusted 90th percentile wages and salaries were $50.94 in March 2014 and $53.25 in March 2023.

These data are from the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation program. The data are not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see “Employer Costs for Employee Compensation — March 2023.” We also have more charts on employer costs for employee compensation. To learn more, see the Compensation Percentile Estimates factsheet. The median or 50th percentile is the midpoint in the compensation distribution; half of workers earn more than the median and half earn less. Ten percent of workers have compensation below the upper limit of the 10th percentile, and 90 percent have higher compensation. Ninety percent of workers have compensation below the upper limit of the 90th percentile and 10 percent have higher compensation. The Consumer Price Index is used to adjust compensation for inflation.