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 www.nrffoundation.com |