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Hourly Compensation, Wages, and Salaries

Tables/Charts:
Average Hourly Retail Earnings, 2008-2010

Compensation Paid to Retail Employees, 2010-2011

Summary Points:

  • Retail wages averaged $13.24 an hour in 2010.  In many sectors, retailing pays substantially more: motor vehicle and parts dealers, over $17 per hour; electronics and appliance stores, about $17 per hour; and furniture and home furnishings stores, over $15 per hour.

  • In other words, for every dollar paid to retail workers by employers, benefits such as vacation time, bonuses, and insurance, add almost $0.25.

  • Legally required benefits, such as social security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance, account for around 37 percent of non-wage compensation.


Average Hourly Retail Earnings,* 2008-2010
(NAICS Definitions and Dollars)
  2008 2009 2010
Retail Trade $12.87 $13.02 $13.24
Motor Vehicle & Parts Dealers 16.15 16.52 17.06
Furniture & Home Furnishings 15.02 15.17 16.99
Electronics & Appliance Stores 17.61 16.74 15.25
Building Mat'ls. & Garden Supply 13.83 14.02 14.11
Food & Beverage Stores 11.56 11.87 12.04
Clothing & Clothing Accessories 11.57 11.66 11.57
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Book & Music Stores 11.70 11.58 11.67
General Merchandise Stores 10.73 10.80 10.98
Food Services & Drinking Places 9.59 9.86 10.14
       
* The average hourly earnings of non-supervisory retail workers
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.


Compensation Paid to Retail Employees,* 2010-2011
(NAICS Definitions, Dollars and Percent)
  Cost per Hour Worked**
  2010 Value Share of Total 2011 Value Share of Total
Total Compensation*** $17.22 100.0% $17.19 100.0%
Wages and Salaries 12.97 75.3 12.91 75.1
Benefits 4.25 24.7 4.27 24.9
Paid Leave 0.79 4.6 0.80 4.6
Supplemental Pay 0.28 1.6 0.27 1.6
Insurance 1.24 7.2 1.27 7.4
Retirement and Savings 0.35 2.0 0.34 2.0
Legally Required (a) 1.59 9.2 1.59 9.3
Other (b) n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
* Includes full-time and part-time employees.
** Based on data collected in March of each year.
*** Numbers may not add to total due to rounding.
a Payments include social security, federal and state unemployment, insurance, workers' compensation, and temporary disability insurance.
b Includes severance pay and supplemental unemployment benefits. Cost per hour worked is $0.01 or less.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics data.



Retail Industry Indicators 2010 © NRF Foundation
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