Average weekly hours and pay by industry
How long people on US private payrolls work each week and what they earn, by industry, for September 2026. Figures are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics payroll survey, seasonally adjusted; the latest two months are preliminary and are revised by BLS.
Key findings
- Mining and logging has the longest average workweek at 45.8 hours, followed by utilities at 42.2 hours.
- Leisure and hospitality has the shortest at 25.5 hours, then retail trade at 30.6 hours. Both employ many part-time workers.
- Average hourly earnings range from $23.90 in leisure and hospitality to $56.08 in information.
- Across all private industries, average hourly earnings rose 3.0% from September 2025 to September 2026, and the average workweek rose by 0.2 hours.
Average weekly hours by industry
Hours and earnings by industry, September 2026
| Industry | Weekly hours | Change from September 2025 | Hourly earnings | Change from September 2025 | Weekly earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total private | 34.4 | +0.2 | $37.81 | +3.0% | $1,300.66 |
| Mining and logging | 45.8 | +0.4 | $42.17 | +4.6% | $1,931.39 |
| Construction | 39.2 | +0.2 | $41.69 | +4.2% | $1,634.25 |
| Manufacturing | 40.6 | +0.6 | $36.92 | +3.4% | $1,498.95 |
| Wholesale trade | 39.4 | +0.2 | $40.06 | +2.5% | $1,578.36 |
| Retail trade | 30.6 | +0.7 | $26.38 | +2.9% | $807.23 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 38.0 | −0.3 | $32.78 | +3.1% | $1,245.64 |
| Utilities | 42.2 | +0.4 | $56.07 | +6.0% | $2,366.15 |
| Information | 36.9 | −0.7 | $56.08 | +5.7% | $2,069.35 |
| Financial activities | 37.5 | −0.1 | $49.75 | +3.8% | $1,865.63 |
| Professional and business services | 36.7 | +0.2 | $46.03 | +2.9% | $1,689.30 |
| Private education and health services | 32.7 | 0.0 | $36.44 | +2.1% | $1,191.59 |
| Leisure and hospitality | 25.5 | 0.0 | $23.90 | +3.9% | $609.45 |
| Other services | 32.1 | +0.1 | $34.33 | +2.9% | $1,101.99 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Table B-2 and Table B-3. All employees on private nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted. September 2026 figures are preliminary. Changes are computed by Employee Calculators from the two BLS values.
Why the average is under 40 hours
These are average paid hours per job, across full-time and part-time employees. BLS counts all hours worked including overtime, plus paid leave, holidays, and standby time. Part-time work, unpaid absences, and turnover pull the average below a typical 40-hour schedule, which is why retail and leisure and hospitality sit near 25 to 31 hours (BLS Handbook of Methods).
What the numbers mean for one paycheck
The averages describe whole industries, not any one job. To turn your own rate and hours into weekly, monthly, and yearly pay, use the hourly to salary calculator or the printable hourly to salary chart. To see how many hours a full-time year holds, see the work hours per year chart, and for overtime pay, the overtime calculator.
About the data
- Survey: the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey, which each month covers about 119,000 businesses and government agencies representing about 622,000 worksites, published in the Employment Situation report (BLS CES).
- Coverage: all employees on private nonfarm payrolls. Government, farm workers, and the self-employed are not included.
- Seasonal adjustment: figures are seasonally adjusted so months can be compared.
- Revisions: BLS revises the latest two months as more reports arrive, and benchmarks the series once a year. We refresh this page after each monthly release.
- Overtime: average weekly overtime hours are published for manufacturing only (series CES3000000004).
BLS series IDs used on this page
| Industry | Weekly hours | Hourly earnings | Weekly earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total private | CES0500000002 | CES0500000003 | CES0500000011 |
| Mining and logging | CES1000000002 | CES1000000003 | CES1000000011 |
| Construction | CES2000000002 | CES2000000003 | CES2000000011 |
| Manufacturing | CES3000000002 | CES3000000003 | CES3000000011 |
| Wholesale trade | CES4142000002 | CES4142000003 | CES4142000011 |
| Retail trade | CES4200000002 | CES4200000003 | CES4200000011 |
| Transportation and warehousing | CES4300000002 | CES4300000003 | CES4300000011 |
| Utilities | CES4422000002 | CES4422000003 | CES4422000011 |
| Information | CES5000000002 | CES5000000003 | CES5000000011 |
| Financial activities | CES5500000002 | CES5500000003 | CES5500000011 |
| Professional and business services | CES6000000002 | CES6000000003 | CES6000000011 |
| Private education and health services | CES6500000002 | CES6500000003 | CES6500000011 |
| Leisure and hospitality | CES7000000002 | CES7000000003 | CES7000000011 |
| Other services | CES8000000002 | CES8000000003 | CES8000000011 |
Use and cite this data
You are welcome to use these figures and the chart. Please cite the Bureau of Labor Statistics as the source and link to this page if it helped:
Employee Calculators, “Average weekly hours and pay by industry (September 2026),” compiled from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics. https://employeecalculators.com/data/average-weekly-hours-by-industry/