National Compensation Survey - Employment Cost Trends produces quarterly indexes measuring change over time in labor costs (ECI) and quarterly data measuring level of average costs per hour worked (ECEC).

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ECT News Releases

Employment Cost Index (ECI)

July 31, 2012
Wages and salaries rose 0.4 percent and benefit costs rose 0.6 percent for civilian workers, seasonally adjusted, from March to June 2012. Over the year, compensation rose 1.7 percent, wages and salaries 1.7 percent, and benefits 2.1 percent. More...
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Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC)

September 11, 2012
Private industry employers spent an average of $28.80 per hour worked for employee compensation in June 2012. Wages and salaries averaged $20.27 and benefits averaged $8.52, of which retirement and savings plans averaged $1.02 per hour worked. More...
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Current ECT News Releases

 

ECT Databases

Databases

Database Name Special
Notice		 Top
Picks		 One
Screen		 Multi-
Screen		 Tables Text Files
Pay & Cost of Benefits
Employment Cost Index
 Special Notice Top Picks One Screen Data Search Multi Screen Data Search Tables Text Files
Employer Cost for Employee Compensation
   Top Picks One Screen Data Search Multi Screen Data Search Tables Text Files

 

More Tools

  • Series Report —Already know the series identifier for the statistic you want? Use this shortcut to retrieve your data.
  • Flat files (FTP)—For those who want it all. Download a flat file of the entire database or large subset of the database.
  • Compensation Cost Trends Search--allows you to search through all the Employment Cost Index and Employer Costs for Employee Compensation publications that are currently available electronically.

All ECT Databases »

 

ECT Tables

  • ECI Current-Dollar Historical Listings
  • ECI Constant-Dollar Historical Listings
  • ECI Historical Listings - Continuous Occupational and Industry Series, September 1975 - Present (TXT) (PDF)
  • ECI Health Insurance, private industry (PDF)
  • ECI Standard Errors
  • Corrections to Employment Cost Index data, June 2009 – September 2010
  • ECEC Historical Listing, 2004 to present (Quarterly)-Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (TXT) (PDF) -- Quarterly estimates from March 2004 to the present, with sample establishments classified by industry categories based on the new 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and the 2000 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.
  • ECEC Supplemental Tables Historical Data, December 2006 – June 2012 (TXT) (PDF)
  • ECEC Relative Standard Errors (TXT) (PDF)
  • ECEC Relative Standard Errors -- Supplementary Tables (TXT) (PDF)
  • ECEC Supplemental Tables June 2012 (TXT) (PDF)- supplemental tables with series for private industry workers by occupational group, establishment size, and bargaining status in 14 detailed industries.
  • ECEC Historical Listing, 2002-2003 (Quarterly)—Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (TXT) (PDF) -- Quarterly estimates from March 2002 to December 2003, with sample establishments classified by industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industry Classification (SIC) system and by occupational classifications according to the 1990 Census of Population.
  • ECEC Historical Listing, 1986-2001 (Annual)—Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (TXT) (PDF) -- Annual estimates from March 1986 to March 2001, with sample establishments classified by industry categories based on the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) system and by occupational classifications according to the Census of Population.
  • Seasonal Factors and Revised Seasonally Adjusted Indexes
  • Chart—Changes in wages and salaries and benefit costs, civilian workers

 

Contract Escalation

The Employment Cost Index (ECI) is increasingly being used by business organizations as an escalator to adjust long-term sales and purchasing contracts, and to adjust wage rates in collective bargaining agreements. A web page explaining how to use the ECI for escalating contracts is available.

 

ECT Publications

All NCS Publications (including benefits, compensation costs, and wages) »

 

ECT Frequently Asked Questions

People Are Asking...

  1. Is the ECI adjusted for inflation?
  2. What is the Employment Cost index for individual occupations in the U.S.?
  3. How can I get annualized ECI data?
  4. What's the average raise?

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How can an aggregate ECI series be lower, or higher, than all of its component series? For example, the 3-month seasonally adjusted percent change for compensation, civilian workers in March 2012, was 0.4 percent. However, the change for its two components-wages and salaries and benefits-are both 0.5 percent.
  2. How do I calculate the percent change between two time periods?
  3. What impact can incentive paid workers have on the ECI?
  4. Once I have identified the series I want to use, how should I reference it to make sure it will not be confused with another series?
  5. Where can I get wage determinations data?
  6. Where can I obtain information on minimum wage and overtime laws and regulations?
  7. Where can I find Employment Cost Index (wages & salaries and benefits) historical data?
  8. How often are the ECI and ECEC published?
  9. Does BLS interpret or forecast data on ECI and ECEC?
  10. Is there a survey which shows compensation and benefits as a part of compensation?
  11. Do you have breakdowns of the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation by state?
  12. Does the Employment Cost Index include stock options?

All ECT FAQs »

ECT Special Notice

None

 

ECT Related Links

Related Links to Other BLS Programs

  • National Compensation Survey—provides comprehensive measures of occupational earnings; compensation cost trends; and benefit incidence and detail plan provisions.
  • Wages—provides data on occupational wages for localities, broad geographic regions, and the nation..
  • Benefits—comprehensive data on incidence and provisions of selected employee benefit plans.
  • Consumer Price Indexes—provides monthly data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services.
  • Producer Price Indexes—provides monthly data on changes in the selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services.
  • Occupational Employment Statistics—data on employment and wages for over 800 occupations and for about 400 nonfarm industries for the nation, plus occupational data for States and metropolitan areas.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook—provides data for 250 occupations, by nature of the work, working conditions, employment, job outlook and earnings, related occupations, sources of additional information, and training, other qualifications, and advancement.

Other Useful Links

 

Contact Us

Contacts

The Office of Compensation Levels and Trends, Branch of Survey Information and Publications, will be glad to assist you with questions about any of the components of the National Compensation Survey.

Ways to Contact BLS Directly

Email: Contact us

Telephone: (202) 691-6199 (Monday - Friday, 8:30 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.)

Question-by-FAX: (202) 691-6647

Information and assistance is also available from any BLS regional office.

TDD

Information voice phone: (202) 691-5200 The Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339

Write or Personal Visit

Bureau of Labor Statistics
OCLT/SI&P
2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. - Suite 4175
Washington, D.C. 20212-0001

Other Ways to Access our Data:

 Libraries

Federal Depository Libraries provide free access to government documents. Many of these libraries receive BLS publications. Check with a location near you.

To Order Publications

Copies for purchase:

Subscriptions:

GPO Superintendent of Documents
P.O. Box 371954
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954
(202) 512-1800