Trends: Bureau of Labor Statistics

ECI Benefits by Occupation and Industry

BLS Table 12 gives the Employment Cost Index for benefits with a 12-month percent change, as BLS prints it, for the period ended Jun. 2026 of 3.8 percent for civilian workers, 3.8 percent for private industry workers and 4.0 percent for state and local government workers, not seasonally adjusted; within private industry, 3.5 percent for union and 3.8 percent for nonunion workers. The table gives index levels and three-month and 12-month changes by occupational group, industry and bargaining status.

Index levels

Indexes (Dec. 2005=100)
GroupJun. 2025Mar. 2026Jun. 2026
Civilian workers
All workers (1)171.680176.596178.243
Private industry workers
All workers164.815169.305171.044
Occupational group
Management, professional, and related162.450167.195168.914
Sales and office167.694172.270174.353
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance163.188167.372168.710
Production, transportation, and material moving167.491170.876172.772
Service occupations166.870171.689172.945
Industry
Goods-producing industries (2)156.113160.001161.386
Manufacturing156.095159.898161.372
Aircraft manufacturing112.982122.332123.412
Service-providing industries (3)167.688172.349174.185
Bargaining status
Union177.643181.375183.943
Nonunion162.293166.861168.482
State and local government workers
All workers197.029203.630204.859
  • (1) Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal government.
  • (2) Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing.
  • (3) Includes the following industries: wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; utilities; information; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; professional and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; administrative and waste services; educational services; health care and social assistance; arts, entertainment and recreation; accommodation and food services; and other services, except public administration.

Percent changes, three months and 12 months

Percent changes for / 3-months ended-Percent changes for / 12-months ended-
GroupJun. 2025Mar. 2026Jun. 2026Jun. 2025Mar. 2026Jun. 2026
Civilian workers
All workers (1)0.71.80.93.53.63.8
Private industry workers
All workers0.81.91.03.43.63.8
Occupational group
Management, professional, and related0.52.11.03.23.54.0
Sales and office1.11.91.23.73.94.0
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance1.01.40.83.23.63.4
Production, transportation, and material moving1.31.21.13.63.33.2
Service occupations0.91.90.73.83.83.6
Industry
Goods-producing industries (2)0.91.70.92.83.43.4
Manufacturing1.01.80.92.83.53.4
Aircraft manufacturing1.310.00.94.29.79.2
Service-providing industries (3)0.81.91.13.63.63.9
Bargaining status
Union1.31.11.43.83.43.5
Nonunion0.72.01.03.43.63.8
State and local government workers
All workers0.21.30.64.13.64.0
  • (1) Includes workers in the private nonfarm economy except those in private households, and workers in the public sector, except the federal government.
  • (2) Includes mining, construction, and manufacturing.
  • (3) Includes the following industries: wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; utilities; information; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; professional and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; administrative and waste services; educational services; health care and social assistance; arts, entertainment and recreation; accommodation and food services; and other services, except public administration.

Reading these tables

The benefits component of the Employment Cost Index covers the employer's cost of paid leave, supplemental pay (overtime premiums, shift differentials, bonuses), insurance, retirement and savings plans and legally required benefits such as Social Security and workers' compensation. Like the rest of the ECI it is computed for a fixed set of jobs, so it measures a change in the cost of providing the same benefits to the same kinds of jobs, not a change in who gets them. The index is December 2005 = 100; the percent changes are BLS's three-month and 12-month comparisons, not seasonally adjusted, shown as printed.

Table 12 is compact: one row each for civilian (private industry plus state and local government, footnote 1), private industry and state and local government workers, then private industry alone by the five occupational groups, by broad industry (goods-producing, service-providing, manufacturing) and by bargaining status, meaning whether the job is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Benefits costs can move apart from wages because health insurance premiums and pension contributions follow their own prices. The companion pages give wages and salaries and total compensation for the same groups, and the Employer Costs page gives the level of each benefit in dollars per hour.

Source, release and next release