Health benefits cost employers $2.60 an hour

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2012—U.S. employers are paying an average of $2.60 per hour to provide health benefits to employees, according to a report issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The cost reported was for the month of March 2012, and was based on a survey conducted four times a year to estimate wages, salaries and benefits paid to U.S. workers.

In private industry, health benefits cost small firms—those with fewer than 50 employees—an average of $1.40 per hour worked. The largest category—firms with 500 or more employees—averaged $3.76 per hour worked, according to the survey.