# Average hourly earnings, private employees

Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, in US dollars, not seasonally adjusted, from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

## Key facts

- Average hourly earnings, private employees in the United States was $37.69 in September 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- District of Columbia had the highest average hourly earnings, private employees of 51 states in August 2026, at $58.7, and Mississippi the lowest, at $29.52. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Published for 52 places, with figures from March 2006 to September 2026.
- Figures last updated on 2026-10-12.

- Indicator id: `avg_hourly_earnings_private`
- Unit: USD
- Note: Gross pay before deductions divided by hours paid, including overtime and shift premiums but not irregular bonuses or benefits. Government employees are excluded. BLS publishes state earnings only without seasonal adjustment, so the national value here is the unadjusted series too (CEU0500000003), which differs slightly from the adjusted headline figure. A shift in the mix of jobs moves the average even when no one's pay changes.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/average-hourly-earnings
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/indicators/avg_hourly_earnings_private

## Latest figures

| Place | Period | USD | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|
| United States | 2026-09 | 37.69 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics: average hourly earnings of all employees, total private, not seasonally adjusted (CEU0500000003). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/ce/ce.data.05b.TotalPrivate.AllEmployeeHoursAndEarnings. Retrieved 2026-10-12. |

## Rankings

- [US states](https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-hourly-earnings/us-states.md) (51 places)