The Employment Cost Index (ECI) measures the change in the cost of labor, free from the influence of employment shifts among occupations and industries. The Employment Cost Index is based on figures from December 2005. In the third quarter of 2024, the ECI came to 166.8, indicating an increase of labor costs of 0.9 percent.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Cost Index: Wages and Salaries: Private Industry Workers (ECIWAG) from Q1 2001 to Q1 2025 about cost, ECI, salaries, workers, private industries, wages, private, employment, industry, inflation, indexes, and USA.

In March 2025, inflation amounted to 2.4 percent, while wages grew by 4.3 percent. The inflation rate has not exceeded the rate of wage growth since January 2023. Inflation in 2022 The high rates of inflation in 2022 meant that the real terms value of American wages took a hit. Many Americans report feelings of concern over the economy and a worsening of their financial situation. The inflation situation in the United States is one that was experienced globally in 2022, mainly due to COVID-19 related supply chain constraints and disruption due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The monthly inflation rate for the U.S. reached a 40-year high in June 2022 at 9.1 percent, and annual inflation for 2022 reached eight percent. Without appropriate wage increases, Americans will continue to see a decline in their purchasing power. Wages in the U.S. Despite the level of wage growth reaching 6.7 percent in the summer of 2022, it has not been enough to curb the impact of even higher inflation rates. The federally mandated minimum wage in the United States has not increased since 2009, meaning that individuals working minimum wage jobs have taken a real terms pay cut for the last twelve years. There are discrepancies between states - the minimum wage in California can be as high as 15.50 U.S. dollars per hour, while a business in Oklahoma may be as low as two U.S. dollars per hour. However, even the higher wage rates in states like California and Washington may be lacking - one analysis found that if minimum wage had kept up with productivity, the minimum hourly wage in the U.S. should have been 22.88 dollars per hour in 2021. Additionally, the impact of decreased purchasing power due to inflation will impact different parts of society in different ways with stark contrast in average wages due to both gender and race.

Labour Costs in the United States increased to 122.24 points in the first quarter of 2025 from 120.57 points in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Labour Costs - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Employment Cost Index in the United States remained unchanged at 0.90 percent in the first quarter of 2025 from 0.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - United States Employment Cost Index- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Wages in the United States increased 4.64 percent in April of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Wages and Salaries Growth - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private (CES0500000003) from Mar 2006 to May 2025 about earnings, average, establishment survey, hours, wages, private, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over (LES1252881600Q) from Q1 1979 to Q1 2025 about full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, real, employment, and USA.

In 2023, the U.S. Consumer Price Index was 309.42, and is projected to increase to 352.27 by 2029. The base period was 1982-84. The monthly CPI for all urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. After a time of high inflation, the U.S. inflation rateis projected fall to two percent by 2027. United States Consumer Price Index ForecastIt is projected that the CPI will continue to rise year over year, reaching 325.6 in 2027. The Consumer Price Index of all urban consumers in previous years was lower, and has risen every year since 1992, except in 2009, when the CPI went from 215.30 in 2008 to 214.54 in 2009. The monthly unadjusted Consumer Price Index was 296.17 for the month of August in 2022. The U.S. CPI measures changes in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households and is thought to reflect inflation in the U.S. as well as the health of the economy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the CPI and defines it as, "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." The BLS records the price of thousands of goods and services month by month. They consider goods and services within eight main categories: food and beverage, housing, apparel, transportation, medical care, recreation, education, and other goods and services. They aggregate the data collected in order to compare how much it would cost a consumer to buy the same market basket of goods and services within one month or one year compared with the previous month or year. Given that the CPI is used to calculate U.S. inflation, the CPI influences the annual adjustments of many financial institutions in the United States, both private and public. Wages, social security payments, and pensions are all affected by the CPI.

In January 2025, the unadjusted consumer price index (CPI) of all items for urban consumers in the United States amounted to about 317.67. The data represents U.S. city averages. The base period was 1982-84=100. The CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as “a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services”. The annual consumer price index for urban consumers in the U.S. can be accessed here. Consumer Price Index The Consumer Price Index (CPI) began in 1919 under the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is published every month. The CPI for all urban consumers includes urban households in Metropolitan Statistical Areas and regions with over 2,500 inhabitants, as well as non-farm consumers living in rural regions. This index was established in 1978 and includes about 80 percent of the U.S. population. The monthly CPI of urban consumers in the United States increased from 292.3 in May 2022 to 304.13 in 2023. Inflation tends not to impact everyone equally for a variety of reasons, including geography - CPI often differs between regions, with a high of 287.49 in the Western region as of 2021. There are also disparities in inflation between income quartiles, in which inflation is generally felt more heavily by lower income households. The annual CPI in the United States has increased steadily over the past two decades, from 140.3 in 1992 to 292.56 in 2022. A forecast of the CPI expects this positive trend to continue, reaching 325.6 by 2027. As of March 2023, the CPI of the nation’s education had increased by 3.5 percent. Further, in the same month costs of recreation, rent, housing, medical care, and food and beverages, gasoline, and transportation increased. Comparatively, the CPI in Hong Kong reached 103.3 in 2022.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Food at Home in U.S. City Average (CUSR0000SAF11) from Jan 1952 to May 2025 about urban, food, consumer, CPI, housing, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Labor Force Participation Rate in the United States decreased to 62.40 percent in May from 62.60 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Labor Force Participation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This layer shows figures of quit rates and quit levels by the US, BLS regions, and states. Data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and was released October and November of 2021. The layer default symbology highlights to September 2021 quit rate in comparison to the national figure of 3.0%.According to the October 2021 News Release by BLS:"The number of quits increased in August to 4.3 million (+242,000). The quits rate increased to a series high of 2.9 percent. Quits increased in accommodation and food services (+157,000); wholesale trade (+26,000); and state and local government education (+25,000). Quits decreased in real estate and rental and leasing (-23,000). The number of quits increased in the South and Midwest regions."In the following November News Release:"In September, quits rates increased in 15 states and decreased in 10 states. The largest increases in quits rates occurred in Hawaii (+3.8 percentage points), Montana (+1.5 points), as well as Nevada and New Hampshire (+1.1 points each). The largest decreases in quits rates occurred in Kentucky (-1.1 percentage points), Iowa (-1.0 point), and South Dakota (-0.7 point). Over the month, the national quits rate increased (+0.1 percentage point)."Quit rates: The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.Quit levels: Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.State and US figures: Table 4. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjustedRegion figures: Table 4. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjustedThis data was obtained in October and November 2021, and the months of data from BLS are as follows:August 2020September 2020April 2021 (only offered for Regions)May 2021June 2021July 2021August 2021September 2021 (preliminary values)For the full data release, click here.The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and VermontSouth: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West VirginiaMidwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and WisconsinWest: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

In 2023, it was estimated that over 161 million Americans were in some form of employment, while 3.64 percent of the total workforce was unemployed. This was the lowest unemployment rate since the 1950s, although these figures are expected to rise in 2023 and beyond. 1980s-2010s Since the 1980s, the total United States labor force has generally risen as the population has grown, however, the annual average unemployment rate has fluctuated significantly, usually increasing in times of crisis, before falling more slowly during periods of recovery and economic stability. For example, unemployment peaked at 9.7 percent during the early 1980s recession, which was largely caused by the ripple effects of the Iranian Revolution on global oil prices and inflation. Other notable spikes came during the early 1990s; again, largely due to inflation caused by another oil shock, and during the early 2000s recession. The Great Recession then saw the U.S. unemployment rate soar to 9.6 percent, following the collapse of the U.S. housing market and its impact on the banking sector, and it was not until 2016 that unemployment returned to pre-recession levels. 2020s 2019 had marked a decade-long low in unemployment, before the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the sharpest year-on-year increase in unemployment since the Great Depression, and the total number of workers fell by almost 10 million people. Despite the continuation of the pandemic in the years that followed, alongside the associated supply-chain issues and onset of the inflation crisis, unemployment reached just 3.67 percent in 2022 - current projections are for this figure to rise in 2023 and the years that follow, although these forecasts are subject to change if recent years are anything to go by.

In 2021, Nevada had the strongest rate of job growth of any state. Jobs grew by 6.8 percent in Nevada, with Idaho, Utah, Florida, and Montana rounding out the top five.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Services Less Energy Services in U.S. City Average (CUSR0000SASLE) from Jan 1967 to May 2025 about energy, urban, consumer, services, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Industry: Building Material and Supplies Dealers (PCU44414441) from Dec 2003 to May 2025 about dealers, materials, supplies, buildings, PPI, industry, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Building materials made of steel, copper and other metals had some of the highest price growth rates in the U.S. in early 2025 in comparison to the previous year. The growth rate of the cost of several construction materials was slightly lower than in late 2024. It is important to note, though, that the figures provided are Producer Price Indices, which cover production within the United States, but do not include imports or tariffs. This might matter for lumber, as Canada's wood production is normally large enough that the U.S. can import it from its neighboring country. Construction material prices in the United Kingdom Similarly to these trends in the U.S., at that time the price growth rate of construction materials in the UK were generally lower 2024 than in 2023. Nevertheless, the cost of some construction materials in the UK still rose that year, with several of those items reaching price growth rates of over **** percent. Considering that those materials make up a very big share of the costs incurred for a construction project, those developments may also have affected the average construction output price in the UK. Construction material shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic During the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there often were supply problems and material shortages, which created instability in the construction market. According to a survey among construction contractors, the construction materials most affected by shortages in the U.S. during most of 2021 were steel and lumber. This was also a problem on the other side of the Atlantic: The share of building construction companies experiencing shortages in Germany soared between March and June 2021, staying at high levels for over a year. Meanwhile, the shortage of material or equipment was one of the main factors limiting the building activity in France in June 2022.

United States Productivity & Cost Index: saar: Mfg: Unit Non Labour Payments data was reported at 114.159 2017=100 in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 96.325 2017=100 for 2020. United States Productivity & Cost Index: saar: Mfg: Unit Non Labour Payments data is updated yearly, averaging 75.763 2017=100 from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2021, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 114.159 2017=100 in 2021 and a record low of 58.130 2017=100 in 1987. United States Productivity & Cost Index: saar: Mfg: Unit Non Labour Payments data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G094: Productivity and Costs Index: 2017=100: saar.

In 2024, the consumer price index (CPI) was 315.61. Data represents U.S. city averages. The monthly inflation rate for the United States can be found here. United States urban Consumer Price Index (CPI) The U.S. Consumer Price Index is a measure of change in the price of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is defined by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics as "a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services." To calculate the CPI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics considers the price of goods and services from various categories: housing, transportation, apparel, food & beverage, medical care, recreation, education and other/uncategorized. The CPI is a useful measure, as it indicates how the cost of urban living in the United States has changed over time, compared to a base period. CPI is also used to calculate inflation, or change in the purchasing power of money. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. urban CPI has been rising steadily since 1992. As of 2023, the CPI was 304.7, up from 233 ten years earlier and up from 184 twenty years earlier. This indicates the extent to which, compared to a base period 1982-1984 = 100, the price of various goods and services has risen.