The Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) published their 2026 CompScope™ Benchmarks, which compare the performance of state workers’ comp systems in 18 states, focusing on overall medical payments, income benefits, use of benefits, duration of temporary disability, benefit delivery expenses, timeliness of payments, and other metrics.
These comprehensive reports help workers’ compensation policymakers and other system stakeholders identify current cost drivers and emerging trends in total costs per claim and key components.
According to the reports, total workers’ comp claim costs increased an average of 6% per year from 2022 to 2025 in the median study state, following relatively flat trends through 2022. Cost growth was driven by higher medical prices, rising indemnity benefits tied to wage growth and disability duration, and increasing benefit delivery expenses. State-level findings highlight how these trends vary across individual jurisdictions.
With 12 separate reports included in the benchmarks, there is a wide range of data available, but key highlights are as follows:
- In California, total claim costs rose 6% in 2025, continuing steady post-2022 growth driven by increases in medical, indemnity, and benefit delivery expenses, with total costs and key components remaining typical across study states. Medical payments increased 7% in 2025, following 5% growth in 2024
- In Florida, total costs increased 5% in 2025, largely due to wage-driven indemnity growth, while medical payments rose 4% following non-hospital fee schedule increases effective January 1, 2025
- In Minnesota, total claim costs were stable in 2025 after significant growth from 2022–2024, with little change across medical payments, indemnity benefits, and benefit delivery expenses
- In New Jersey, total costs increased about 8% annually from 2022–2025, driven by rapid medical payment growth and high-cost claims, while indemnity growth moderated in 2025
- In North Carolina, total claim costs increased 8% in 2025, matching growth in 2024 after flat trends from 2020–2023. Recent growth reflects increases across medical, indemnity, and benefit delivery expenses, with medical payments per claim rising 10%
- In Pennsylvania, total costs increased 9% in 2025, continuing growth since 2022, with increases across indemnity benefits, medical payments, and benefit delivery expenses. Medical payments rose 11% in 2025, driven largely by higher prices for professional services
Across the reports, various trends which may have impacted medical and indemnity payments were noted, including:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted many aspects of the economy, including labor market conditions and wages, as well as the delivery of care
- Changes in claim compositions which have impacted care patterns, particularly an increase in the relative frequency of injuries among several categories of workers; younger workers (under 25), older workers (55 and older), and newly hired workers (job tenure of less than a year)
- Increasing prevalence of comorbidities and behavioral health conditions, which may add to the complexity of a claim, resulting in prolonged disability duration and increased cost
- Changes in the delivery of care, such as provider shortages causing increased reliance on advanced practitioners such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants
- The consolidation of medical markets, where the WCRI notes that the acquisition of physician practices increased medical payments by 10%
