Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

State-by-state chart: Workers compensation

(Related story: Some of Nevada’s public workers sitting pretty)

NEVADA CONSISTENTLY RANKS AT THE BOTTOM — EXCEPT IN COMPENSATING ITS WORKERS. When it comes to employees of state and local governments, Nevada spends well above the national average despite paying one of the smallest percentages of per capita income in state and local taxes in the country, receiving, in return, some of the worst crime rates and rankings for education and health care.

Raising the pay curve: Total pay and benefits for government employees in the state are driven sharply higher by a small class of workers whose pay is far above national averages — police, firefighters and many local government employees. Without those workers, average compensation for state employees is closer to the national average.

The big effect of overtime: Often workers push up Nevada’s average by earning extraordinary amounts of overtime. The overtime hours are the result of an policy choice by local government officials — they have decided paying the overtime is cheaper than hiring and training new employees.

Parsing the retirement benefits: State and local employees can make a maximum of 75 percent of their average pay. They are also eligible for health care subsidies.

No Social Security: Roughly 30 percent of state and local public employees across the country are not covered by Social Security. Public employee unions assert that Nevada saves money by not participating in Social Security, meaning it does not have to pay a 6.2 percent payroll tax. Unions also argue that this distorts how Nevada workers rank in state benefits, placing them higher when compared with the rest of the country because Social Security benefits received by workers in other states are not reflected in their pensions.

Average pay for employees of state governments* Average pay for employees of local governments by state* Average retirement benefits from state, local governments by state**
Rank State Annual pay Rank State Annual pay Rank State Annual benefit
U.S. average $50,350 U.S. average $46,449 U.S. average $21,801
1 California $66,928 1 California $63,481 1 Connecticut $29,407
2 New Jersey $63,284 2 Washington DC $60,917 2 New Jersey $28,531
3 Connecticut $61,074 3 New Jersey $57,854 3 Rhode Island $27,914
4 Iowa $58,007 4 Washington $56,313 4 Colorado $27,457
5 New York $57,790 5 New York $55,766 5 California $26,517
6 Minnesota $56,613 6 Nevada $55,049 6 Nevada $26,009
7 Illinois $56,543 7 Maryland $54,105 7 Illinois $25,261
8 Rhode Island $56,455 8 Connecticut $53,510 8 Georgia $25,211
9 Massachusetts $56,022 9 Rhode Island $52,637 9 New York $25,194
10 Colorado $55,602 10 Hawaii $52,560 10 Oregon $25,078
11 Michigan $55,003 11 Alaska $52,304 11 Wisconsin $23,145
12 Nevada $54,831 12 Massachusetts $51,568 12 Ohio $22,994
13 Wisconsin $54,365 13 Michigan $49,133 13 Hawaii $22,979
14 Alaska $53,748 14 Illinois $47,981 14 Massachusetts $22,978
15 Ohio $52,503 15 Arizona $47,970 15 Arizona $21,367
16 Washington $51,868 16 Minnesota $47,603 16 Pennsylvania $20,919
17 Maryland $51,465 17 Oregon $47,319 17 Texas $20,679
18 Vermont $49,368 18 Pennsylvania $45,748 18 Missouri $20,508
19 Pennsylvania $48,725 19 Wisconsin $45,636 19 New Mexico $20,344
20 Delaware $48,472 20 Delaware $45,630 20 Minnesota $20,167
21 Oregon $47,740 21 Colorado $45,428 21 Alabama $20,095
22 Virginia $47,733 22 Florida $44,753 22 Nebraska $19,921
23 New Hampshire $47,668 23 Ohio $44,093 23 Kentucky $19,666
24 Arizona $47,142 24 Virginia $43,411 24 Maryland $19,420
25 Hawaii $46,876 25 Wyoming $42,362 25 Washington $19,098
26 Idaho $46,810 26 Utah $42,110 26 Louisiana $18,853
27 Utah $46,660 27 North Dakota $41,640 27 Michigan $18,616
28 Texas $45,546 28 New Hampshire $41,454 28 Utah $18,296
29 Maine $45,194 29 Nebraska $41,279 29 Mississippi $18,281
30 Montana $44,712 30 Vermont $39,850 30 Arkansas $17,682
31 Alabama $44,570 31 Iowa $39,180 31 Virginia $17,652
32 Kansas $44,185 32 Indiana $39,114 32 Alaska $17,164
33 Indiana $44,174 33 North Carolina $39,075 33 North Carolina $17,028
34 Florida $43,962 34 Texas $38,584 34 Oklahoma $16,875
35 North Carolina $43,825 35 Georgia $38,396 35 Florida $16,867
36 Louisiana $43,129 36 Maine $37,780 36 District of Columbia $16,289
37 Wyoming $42,540 37 Tennessee $37,548 37 New Hampshire $16,226
38 Kentucky $42,487 38 Missouri $37,183 38 Maine $16,119
39 Oklahoma $42,319 39 Kansas $37,079 39 South Carolina $15,808
40 Georgia $42,274 40 Idaho $36,358 40 Delaware $15,629
41 New Mexico $42,115 41 South Carolina $36,134 41 Kansas $14,898
42 South Dakota $41,661 42 Montana $35,933 42 Idaho $14,823
43 Nebraska $41,473 43 Alabama $35,517 43 Indiana $14,540
44 Tennessee $41,385 44 New Mexico $34,690 44 Vermont $14,304
45 North Dakota $40,142 45 West Virginia $34,521 45 South Dakota $13,951
46 South Carolina $39,751 46 South Dakota $34,184 46 Tennessee $13,941
47 Arkansas $38,863 47 Louisiana $34,101 47 Wyoming $13,381
48 Mississippi $38,654 48 Oklahoma $33,545 48 Montana $13,038
49 Missouri $37,832 49 Kentucky $32,801 49 North Dakota $12,978
50 West Virginia $37,798 50 Arkansas $32,722 50 Iowa $12,664
51 Mississippi $32,326 51 West Virginia $11,192

* Average public pay in each state is based on a survey of total payroll in March 2007, including items like bonuses and overtime.
** The average annual benefit in each state only includes the periodic payments to retirees or their survivors.
SOURCES: U.S. Census; Public Fund Survey

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