Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory jobs on U.S. private nonfarm payrolls rose from $32.63 in September to $32.75 in October. The average workweek slipped from 33.9 to 33.8 hours. After inflation, average hourly earnings rose 0.1%, but average weekly earnings fell 0.3%, according to the November 10 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The figures are seasonally adjusted.
Table A-2 of the earnings report shows how little of the hourly gain made it into weekly pay. Average weekly earnings before inflation rose from $1,106.16 to $1,106.95, a gain of 79 cents, or about 0.07%. Over the same month, the price index the bureau uses for this group, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, rose 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis. The small increase in weekly pay did not keep up with that measure of prices.
The result looks different in Table A-1 of the same report, which covers all jobs on private nonfarm payrolls. For that broader group the workweek held at 34.4 hours, and average hourly pay rose 0.4%. The bureau uses a different inflation measure for that group, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, which also rose 0.4%. Real hourly and weekly earnings were both flat to the precision reported.
The averages describe jobs, including part-time jobs, rather than changes in the pay of the same workers. The mix of higher- and lower-paying jobs can move the averages, the bureau explains in its technical note. For someone comparing two pay periods, the useful distinction is the one October’s numbers bring out: the hourly rate is one input; paid hours determine how much gross pay that rate produces.
The earnings report gives no October-to-October comparison for real pay. During the federal funding lapse in 2025, the bureau could not collect the October price data it needed. The October 2026 earnings figures are preliminary, and the November report is scheduled for December 10.