Gusto's analysis of its small-business customers puts the 2026 median individual health premium at $8,743, up 7% from 2025. The share of firms offering coverage held at about 21%. This is company data, not a BLS series.
BLS data for March 2026 put employer compensation costs at $39.85 per hour worked in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs combined statistical area, versus $75.12 in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland area. These are employer costs, not take-home pay.
Private employers paid 69% of family medical premiums in March 2026, BLS says. Workers in the lowest-paid quarter of jobs paid 37% of the premium, compared with 28% for the highest-paid quarter.
BLS data released September 25 show 72% of private-industry workers had access to retirement benefits in March 2026, but only 52% participated. In service occupations, participation was 23%.
Private employers spent $46.89 per hour worked on compensation in June, and 30% of it went to benefits. A salary figure alone misses much of what a job is worth.
