Waltham, MA, June 9, 2026 – A recent study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) finds that total workers’ compensation costs per claim in Pennsylvania are high relative to the other states included in the study.

After declining from 2020 to 2022, total costs per claim in Pennsylvania resumed growth after 2021 and increased faster than in most other study states.

“Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation costs reflect changes across several components, but higher indemnity benefits per claim stand out as a key factor behind Pennsylvania’s relative position in our study,” said Sebastian Negrusa, vice president of research at WCRI. “Medical payments and benefit delivery expenses also contributed to recent cost growth.”

The study finds that changes in wage-related benefits, temporary disability patterns, medical payments, and benefit delivery expenses all played a role in Pennsylvania’s recent cost trends, though their relative importance differed compared with other study states.

CompScope™ Benchmarks for Pennsylvania, 2026 Edition examines how costs and system performance in Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation system have changed over time, primarily from 2020 to 2025, using multistate comparisons across a broad range of claims and benefit measures.

The report, authored by William Monnin-Browder and Terence Cawley, is free for members and available to nonmembers for a fee.

About WCRI

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), based in Waltham, MA, is an independent, not‑for‑profit research organization founded in 1983. WCRI provides objective information through studies and data collection that follow recognized scientific methods and rigorous peer review. The Institute does not make recommendations or take positions on the issues it researches, ensuring neutrality and credibility. Its diverse membership includes employers, insurers, government agencies, managed care companies, health care providers, regulators, labor organizations, and state agencies across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.