Employer compensation costs in March near bottom in Midwest

Midwestern employers' costs for employee compensation were among the lowest in the country in March, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employers paid an average of $26.75 per hour to compensate their employees in the Midwest, roughly a dollar below the $27.73 average for the United States as a whole. Of that $26.75 per hour, $18.73 - roughly 70 percent - went to wages and salaries. The remainder pays for benefits, including required insurance such as Social Security.

For BLS purposes, the Midwest comprises 12 states: Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and the Dakotas.

Employers in the Northeast have the highest costs per employee, at $32.13 per hour, while employers in the South bear costs of just $24.72 an hour per employee. Among the country's 15 largest metropolitan areas, costs were highest in Boston at $38.62 per hour, while costs were lowest in Miami, at $24 per hour.

Employer compensation cost data for the country and four national regions is produced quarterly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while data for the 15 largest metro areas is produced annually.[[In-content Ad]]