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Reference page

Employee benefits statistics: 2026 snapshot

A current, citable look at workplace benefits, from health coverage and retirement to leave, life insurance, disability plans, and employer health costs.

Last updated October 21, 2026. Figures are national unless a source says otherwise.

The short version

Numbers worth bringing into the conversation.

Benefits decisions are rarely about one number. Employers are balancing the cost of coverage, what workers can reasonably use, and the kind of support their team needs. These statistics provide neutral context for that conversation, using the latest available national data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and KFF.

Each figure below has a stable link, a source, and a data date so reporters, writers, employers, and advisers can cite it with confidence.

Current figures

Employee benefits, by the numbers.

$26,993

was the average annual premium for employer-sponsored family health coverage in 2025.

For single coverage, the average annual premium was $9,325. These figures describe covered workers at employers with 10 or more employees.

Source: KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey ↗Data: 2025

89%

of covered workers were in a plan where the employer paid at least half of the premium for both single and family coverage.

KFF reports that 12% of covered workers had an employer paying the entire single-coverage premium, while 3% had that arrangement for family coverage.

Source: KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey ↗Data: 2025

29%

of covered workers at firms with 10 to 199 employees contributed more than half of the family premium.

That compares with 5% of covered workers at larger firms, showing why a benefits conversation needs to account for employer size and family coverage costs.

Source: KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey ↗Data: 2025

How to read these figures

Useful context, without pretending every workplace is the same.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics data measure access to and participation in employer-provided benefit plans across the United States. Access means a worker is eligible for a plan. Participation means the worker is enrolled. Those are not interchangeable, and the difference is often where the most useful questions begin.

KFF’s employer health benefits survey focuses on private and non-federal public employers with 10 or more workers. Its premium figures describe workers covered through employer-sponsored insurance, rather than every worker or every type of health plan.

For an Omaha employer, national figures are a starting point, not a quote or a recommendation. Plan availability, contribution levels, carrier options, and employee needs all vary. A local conversation can help turn broad context into a practical next step.

Methodology and sources

Where the data comes from.

This page uses the most recent national sources available when it was updated. We review it about monthly and update figures when a key source releases newer data. Source links are included beside every statistic so readers can check the original reporting and definitions.

Cite this page

Goodman Insurance Services. “Employee Benefits Statistics: 2026 Snapshot.” Updated October 21, 2026. https://goodmaninsurance.org/employee-benefits-statistics

For Omaha employers

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