New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows on average, health insurance in September cost private industry employers $2.44 per hour worked, or 7.6 percent of total compensation costs.
This is the lowest health insurance compensation has been for the private industry since March 2011, the bureau said. The peak was in March 2014, when the cost of total compensation for health insurance reached 7.9 percent.
For companies with fewer than 50 employees, health insurance costs amount to $1.59 per hour worked, or 6 percent of total employee compensation costs.
[Also: Employer-sponsored insurance costs keep ticking up]
Companies with between 50 and 99 workers spend $1.94 per hour worked, amounting to 7 percent of total compensation.
For those with 100 to 499 workers, the cost is $2.77 per hour worked, or 8.5 percent of total compensation.
For companies with more than 500 workers, the cost of health insurance is $4.28 per hour, or 9 percent of total compensation costs.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse