Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in United States

United States: Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure was 24.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
24.7%
Change on year
up 14.3%
World rank
106th
of 191 countries
All-time high
27.8%
in 2003
All-time low
21.6%
in 2020
Years of data
22
2001–2022

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in United States, 2001–2022

01020302001201120222001: 27.32002: 27.52003: 27.82004: 27.72005: 27.12006: 27.22007: 27.12008: 26.12009: 24.92010: 25.72011: 25.82012: 26.12013: 26.62014: 26.72015: 26.82016: 26.52017: 26.42018: 26.22019: 25.82020: 21.62021: 21.62022: 24.7

Source: World Bank.

Analysis

The most recent figure for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in United States is 24.7%, measured in 2022.

The figure is up 14.3% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in United States peaked at 27.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 21.6%, in 2020.

United States ranks 106th of 191 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in United States, year by year

Annual values for Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in United States, 2001 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2001 27.3%
2002 27.5% +0.7%
2003 27.8% +1.2%
2004 27.7% -0.5%
2005 27.1% -1.9%
2006 27.2% +0.0%
2007 27.1% -0.2%
2008 26.1% -3.6%
2009 24.9% -4.8%
2010 25.7% +3.2%
2011 25.8% +0.4%
2012 26.1% +1.3%
2013 26.6% +1.9%
2014 26.7% +0.3%
2015 26.8% +0.6%
2016 26.5% -1.2%
2017 26.4% -0.3%
2018 26.2% -0.7%
2019 25.8% -1.5%
2020 21.6% -16.6%
2021 21.6% +0.3%
2022 24.7% +14.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 27.0% 24.9% 27.8% 9
2010s 26.3% 25.7% 26.8% 10
2020s 22.6% 21.6% 24.7% 3

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 103 Algeria 24.9% compare
  2. 104 Maldives 24.9% compare
  3. 105 Cameroon 24.8% compare
  4. 107 Sudan 24.5% compare
  5. 108 Barbados 24.3% compare
  6. 109 Israel 24.1% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in United States?
Wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure in United States was 24.7% in 2022, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2003.
What is the lowest wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 21.6% in 2020.
How does United States rank for wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure?
United States ranks 106th out of 191 countries with data for 2022.
Is wage bill as a percentage of public expenditure rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure in United States. Statizoid. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/wage-bill-as-a-percentage-of-public-expenditure/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Wage bill as a percentage of Public Expenditure
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,119 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed