Skip to the lesson
Back to the home page and map, from TryOwning · People (HR) · Lesson 2
Part 1 of 3Part 1 of 3, 0 done

People (HR) · 14 min

What a worker really costs

A job pays an hourly wage. The worker takes home a lot less, and the company spends a lot more. Here's where the money goes, line by line, as the people team sees it.

THIS WEEK
Ticket 01 · The guess

What does a year of family health insurance cost?

Many jobs come with health insurance. For a worker who also covers a partner and children, what does a year of that insurance cost, on average, all in?

$10,000
$0$50,000
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (2)

Sources

  • 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey: average premiums and worker contributions for family and single coverage, and the share of firms with 10 or more workers offering health benefits · KFF, 2026
  • 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey: average premiums and worker contributions for covered workers with single coverage · KFF, 2026

Every number

  • $28,303kff.org ·2026 · Average yearly premium for family health coverage at work, 2026 (firms with ten or more workers).
  • $7,471kff.org ·2026 · What covered workers paid toward family coverage in a year, on average, 2026.
  • $20,832kff.org ·2026 · Worked out: the average family premium minus what workers paid toward it, 2026.
  • 5%kff.org ·2026 · How much higher the average family premium was in 2026 than in 2025.
  • $9,804kff.org ·2026 · Average yearly premium for single coverage at work, 2026.
  • $1,672kff.org ·2026 · What covered workers paid toward single coverage in a year, on average, 2026.
  • 67%kff.org ·2026 · Share of firms with ten or more workers that offered health benefits, 2026.
  1. Lessons›
  2. Inside a business›
  3. People (HR)
  • ·Before this: Hiring: from the job post to the offer
  • ·Next: The rules at work
Skip to the lesson
Back to the home page and map, from TryOwning · People (HR) · Lesson 2
Part 1 of 3Part 1 of 3, 0 done

People (HR) · 14 min

What a worker really costs

A job pays an hourly wage. The worker takes home a lot less, and the company spends a lot more. Here's where the money goes, line by line, as the people team sees it.

THIS WEEK
Ticket 01 · The guess

What does a year of family health insurance cost?

Many jobs come with health insurance. For a worker who also covers a partner and children, what does a year of that insurance cost, on average, all in?

$10,000
$0$50,000
Words to know

Spot something wrong?

Tell us what looks off. No name or email needed.

What kind of problem?

0 / 1000

We'll also send this page, the lesson, ticket 1, so we can find it. Nothing else. Privacy

·
Sources and every number (2)

Sources

  • 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey: average premiums and worker contributions for family and single coverage, and the share of firms with 10 or more workers offering health benefits · KFF, 2026
  • 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey: average premiums and worker contributions for covered workers with single coverage · KFF, 2026

Every number

  • $28,303kff.org ·2026 · Average yearly premium for family health coverage at work, 2026 (firms with ten or more workers).
  • $7,471kff.org ·2026 · What covered workers paid toward family coverage in a year, on average, 2026.
  • $20,832kff.org ·2026 · Worked out: the average family premium minus what workers paid toward it, 2026.
  • 5%kff.org ·2026 · How much higher the average family premium was in 2026 than in 2025.
  • $9,804kff.org ·2026 · Average yearly premium for single coverage at work, 2026.
  • $1,672kff.org ·2026 · What covered workers paid toward single coverage in a year, on average, 2026.
  • 67%kff.org ·2026 · Share of firms with ten or more workers that offered health benefits, 2026.
  1. Lessons›
  2. Inside a business›
  3. People (HR)
  • ·Before this: Hiring: from the job post to the offer
  • ·Next: The rules at work