Second shift, third shift, and what the extra is worth
Figures from the May 2025 BLS release
Shift names are conventions, not law. In most American workplaces they run roughly:
- First shift — around 7am to 3pm. The default.
- Second shift — around 3pm to 11pm. Often called swing or afternoon shift.
- Third shift — around 11pm to 7am. Night shift, graveyard.
Exact hours vary by employer and industry; a hospital's second shift and a warehouse's second shift may start an hour apart.
There is no federal shift premium
This is the part worth knowing. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay for hours over 40 a week. It requires nothing for working nights or weekends. Shift differentials exist because employers need to staff unpopular hours, not because they are obliged to pay for them. They are a matter of policy or collective agreement.
What they are typically worth
Premiums are usually expressed as a percentage of base or a flat cents-per-hour add-on. On a $22 base rate, common structures look like this:
| Shift | Typical premium | Effective rate | Annual at 40 hrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| First (day) | — | $22.00 | $45,760 |
| Second (evening) | +10% | $24.20 | $50,336 |
| Third (night) | +15% | $25.30 | $52,624 |
| Weekend | +12% | $24.64 | $51,251 |
Percentages here illustrate common practice rather than a surveyed average — BLS does not publish shift differentials as a separate series, so anyone quoting a precise national figure is estimating. Your employer's policy is the only authoritative number.
It compounds with overtime
A shift differential is part of your regular rate for overtime purposes. If you earn $22 base plus a 15% night premium, your overtime rate is 1.5× $25.30, not 1.5× $22. Payroll systems get this wrong often enough to be worth checking on your payslip. See how the overtime rate is built.
The trade you are actually making
A 10–15% premium on a mid-range hourly job is roughly $5,720 a year. That is real money, and it is also the market's price for sleeping against your circadian rhythm. Whether that is a good trade is not something wage data can answer.