Average hourly earnings for all employees on US private nonfarm payrolls rose by 15 cents, or 0.4%, over a month, to $37.32 in February 2026, matching January's pace and slightly above market forecasts of 0.3%. In February, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 9 cents, or 0.3%, to $32.03. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 3.8%, up from a 3.7% advance in January and also above market estimates of a 3.7% rise.