Base pay rose 3.2%; gross pay was up 4.7%

ROSELAND, N.J., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Private-sector employment increased by 86,000 jobs in October, according to the ADP National Employment Report® produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab (“Stanford Lab”).  

Base pay for private-sector workers rose 3.2% and gross pay was up 4.7% year over year, according to ADP Pay Insights.

The ADP National Employment Report is an independent measure of the labor market based on the anonymized weekly payroll data of more than 26 million private-sector employees in the United States. ADP Pay Insights uses payroll transaction data to compare the wage growth of individual workers over 12-month intervals, resulting in more than 14.7 million year-over-year pay-change observations each month.  

Together, these reports use ADP’s finely-grained data to provide a representative and high-frequency picture of the private-sector labor market.

“Employers of all sizes were hiring last month, and our data suggests that job-changers were lured by a combination of bonuses, overtime, and more hours in addition to higher base pay,” said Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist, ADP. “Taken together, earnings growth for these workers hit its fastest pace since March 2024.”

October 2026 Report Highlights
View the ADP National Employment Report and interactive charts at www.adpemploymentreport.com.

EMPLOYMENT REPORT
Private employers added 86,000 jobs in October

Hiring showed solid growth for a second month and pay gains were steady. There were weak spots; professional and business services lost jobs for the third straight month.

Change in U.S. Private Employment:     86,000

Change by Sector
– Goods-producing:     4,000

• Natural resources and mining     -8,000
• Construction     13,000
• Manufacturing     -1,000

– Service-providing:     82,000

• Trade, transportation, and utilities     39,000
• Information     -2,000
• Financial activities     15,000
• Professional and business services     -27,000
• Education and health services     28,000
• Leisure and hospitality     19,000
• Other services     10,000

Change by U.S. Regions
– Northeast:     3,000

• New England     -3,000
• Mid-Atlantic     6,000

– Midwest:     9,000

• East North Central     -2,000
• West North Central     11,000

– South:     47,000

• South Atlantic     15,000
• East South Central     -3,000
• West South Central     35,000

– West:     28,000

• Mountain     1,000
• Pacific     27,000

Change by Establishment Size
– Small establishments:     28,000

• 1-19 employees     21,000
• 20-49 employees     7,000

– Medium establishments:     33,000

• 50-249 employees     22,000
• 250-499 employees      11,000

– Large establishments:     24,000

• 500+ employees     24,000

PAY INSIGHTS

ADP Pay Insights provides base pay growth and gross pay growth data across worker mobility, demographics, sector, employer size, pay quartile, and 56 U.S. metropolitan areas. The report also now offers pay growth distribution.

Base pay growth was little changed in October

Pay rose 3.0 percent for job-stayers year over year, and 4.8 percent for job-changers.

Visit our interactive platform for more information.

Median Change in Base Pay
– All workers     3.2%
– Job-stayers     3.0%
– Job-changers     4.8%

Median Change in Gross Pay
– All workers     4.7%
– Job-stayers      4.4%
– Job-changers     7.6%

Median Change in Base Pay by Sector
– Goods-producing:                                                          

• Natural resources and mining     3.3%  
• Construction     4.0%  
• Manufacturing     3.5%

– Service-providing:                       

• Trade, transportation, and utilities     3.4%           
• Information     3.0%  
• Financial activities     3.5%  
• Professional and business services     3.2%   
• Education and health services     3.0%  
• Leisure and hospitality     3.0%  
• Other services     3.0%  

Median Change in Base Pay by Firm Size
– Medium firms:                                                            

• 50-249 employees     3.5%  
• 250-499 employees     3.3%  

– Large firms:             

• 500+ employees     3.2%

To see Pay Insights by U.S. Metro, Gender, Age, and Pay Quartile, as well as Gross Pay growth data by sector and firm size, please visit https://payinsights.adp.com/

The September total number of jobs added was revised from 90,000 to 86,000.

For additional information about the ADP National Employment Report, including historical files, employment and pay data, methodology, and a calendar of release dates, please visit https://adpemploymentreport.com/.    

The November 2026 ADP National Employment Report will be released on December 2, 2026 at 8:15 a.m. ET.

About ADP Research
The mission of ADP Research is to make the future of work more productive through data-driven discovery. Companies, workers, and policy makers rely on our finely tuned data and unique perspective to make informed decisions that impact workplaces around the world.

To subscribe to monthly email alerts or obtain additional information about ADP Research, including employment and pay data, methodology, and a calendar of release dates, please visit https://www.adpresearch.com.     

About ADP (NASDAQ: ADP)
ADP has been shaping the world of work with innovation and expertise for more than 75 years. As a global leader in HR and payroll solutions, ADP continuously works to solve business challenges for our clients and their workers, from simple, easy-to-use tools for small businesses to fully integrated platforms for global enterprises – and everything in between. Always Designing for People means we’re focused on just that – people. We use our unmatched AI-driven insights and proven expertise to design innovative solutions that help people achieve greater success at work. More than 1.1 million clients across 140+ countries rely on ADP’s exceptional service to support their people and drive their business forward. HR, Talent, Time Management, Benefits, Compliance, and Payroll. Learn more at ADP.com

ADP, the ADP logo, and Always Designing for People, ADP National Employment Report, and ADP Research are registered trademarks of ADP, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

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