Employee compensation as share of government spending in United States
United States: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 8.1% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in United States, 1972–2023
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
In 2023, employee compensation as share of government spending in United States stood at 8.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in United States peaked at 18.6% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 6.7%, in 2021.
United States ranks 147th of 155 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in United States, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 18.6% | — |
| 1973 | 17.5% | -5.6% |
| 1974 | 16.7% | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 14.9% | -10.7% |
| 1976 | 13.9% | -6.4% |
| 1977 | 13.5% | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 13.3% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 12.7% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 11.5% | -9.0% |
| 1981 | 11.3% | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 11.2% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 10.8% | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 10.9% | +1.2% |
| 1985 | 10.5% | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 10.4% | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 10.7% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 10.7% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 10.4% | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 10.1% | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 9.8% | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 9.7% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 9.4% | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 9.2% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 8.9% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 8.7% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 8.5% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 8.5% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 8.6% | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 8.7% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +12.6% |
| 2002 | 10.3% | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 10.8% | +5.4% |
| 2004 | 10.9% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 10.8% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 10.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 10.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 10.1% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 9.9% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 10.0% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 10.1% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 10.2% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 10.1% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 9.9% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 9.7% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 9.7% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 9.6% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 9.5% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 9.2% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -24.4% |
| 2021 | 6.7% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 8.0% | +19.6% |
| 2023 | 8.1% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15.1% | 12.7% | 18.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 10.8% | 10.4% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.1% | 8.5% | 10.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.3% | 8.7% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.8% | 9.2% | 10.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 6.7% | 8.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 144 Mexico 9.2% compare
- 145 Sweden 9.2% compare
- 146 Republic of Korea 8.8% compare
- 148 Netherlands 7.8% compare
- 149 Finland 7.1% compare
- 150 Switzerland 7.0% compare
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in United States?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in United States was 8.1% in 2023, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 18.6% in 1972.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.7% in 2021.
- How does United States rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- United States ranks 147th out of 155 countries with data for 2023.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employee compensation as share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.