Switzerland vs United States: Average hourly earnings of employees (15+)
Average hourly earnings of employees (15+) over time
- Switzerland
- United States
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 48.11 against 43.49 in United States, a difference of 4.62.
That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.1 times United States's.
Across all 32 years both countries report, Switzerland has been ahead every year.
Switzerland ranks 33rd and United States ranks 34th of 55 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.8 | 15.54 | 17.26 | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 35.86 | 20.73 | 15.13 | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 40.8 | 25.59 | 15.22 | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 46.51 | 36.97 | 9.54 | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher average hourly earnings of employees, Switzerland or United States?
- Switzerland, at 48.11 against 43.49 in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in average hourly earnings of employees between Switzerland and United States?
- 4.62, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2025.
- How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for average hourly earnings of employees?
- Switzerland ranks 33rd and United States ranks 34th of 55 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Labour Organization, published as Average hourly earnings of employees (15+). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. The earnings of employees relate to the gross remuneration in cash and in kind paid to employees, as a rule at regular intervals, for time worked or work done together with remuneration for time not worked, such as annual vacation, other type of paid leave or holidays. Earnings exclude employers' contributions in respect of their employees paid to social security and pension schemes and also the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay. For more information, refer to the Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND) database description.