California’s booming labor market means job hunters have a lot of options. Among the recruiters is the state’s government, which employs nearly a quarter-million people and is hiring more.

While some state jobs pay less than the private sector, others pay considerably more, especially when the state’s benefit package — including pensions and health insurance contributions — is taken into account.

An analysis by The Sacramento Bee of new data from the California Department of Human Resources identified 10 occupations in which state workers receive the best compensation compared to their peers in the private sector and other government jobs.

Health care workers stood out in the comparisons, although many of the best-paying state health care jobs are in prisons in remote areas. Service and manual labor jobs also made the list.

The comparisons take into account salary and benefits. State workers’ benefit packages, including health insurance contributions and pensions, often are richer than those offered in the private sector.

People looking for state jobs often crave stability, said Ramona Chahal, a Sacramento branch manager for Roth Staffing Companies.

Chahal said she has several clients who are looking for the stability of a state job after short, frustrating stints in private-sector jobs. State jobs typically offer a good work-life balance with predictable hours and vacation time, she said. The state rarely lays people off, typically preferring to reduce staffing through attrition when needed.

On the flip side, some clients contact her for help leaving a state job after a year or two because they want to advance their careers more quickly than they can at the state, she said.

“It takes longer, but if you’re patient and you want to go that route – it really depends on career and where you want to be,” Chahal said. “Private will get you there much faster; the state has the benefits and the stability factor. That’s the No. 1 thing I’ll hear from candidates.”

The state has extensive civil service rules for how people get hired and promoted. State employers are required to ask all applicants the same questions, rate their responses and then rank the responses before making hiring decisions.

Those processes are meant to ensure the state hires candidates based on merit, rather than things like favoritism or nepotism, said Andrew LaMar, a CalHR spokesman.

But the requirements mean the application process can take a long time.

“They’re always saying it takes forever,” Chahal said.

The recent CalHR data comes from surveys of jobs across the state. The jobs are listed by category, not by department. The same type of job could be offered under several different departments, from Caltrans to the Franchise Tax Board. The surveys, which are required under state law, use Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the comparisons.

The surveys on CalHR’s website have more specific comparisons by region, including the Sacramento region, and have more information about the departments the jobs are in.

The state’s job openings may be viewed at CalCareers.ca.gov.

The comparisons below include the percentage by which the state salaries exceed their peers’, along with salary and benefit averages, projected job growth for the occupation and current vacancy rates for the positions.

Dentists — 46.4%

Monthly median wage: $23,355

Wages plus benefits: $35,783

Projected job growth through 2026: 15.9 percent

Vacancy rate: 4.3 percent

Stock clerks and order fillers — 43.2%

Monthly median wage: $4,194

Wages plus benefits: $7,599

Projected job growth through 2026: 8.6 percent

Vacancy rate: 13.4 percent

Doctors — 39.4%

Monthly median wage: $23,900

Wages plus benefits: $36,618

Projected job growth through 2026: 12 percent

Vacancy rate: 20.2 percent

Dental assistants — 38.6%

Monthly median wage: $4,808

Wages plus benefits: $8,668

Projected job growth through 2026: 17 percent

Vacancy rate: 10.6 percent

Printing press operators — 30.9%

Monthly median wage: $3,906

Wages plus benefits: $7,115

Projected job growth through 2026: -9.4 percent

Vacancy rate: 16 percent

Cooks — 30.5%

Monthly median wage: $3,691

Wages plus benefits: $6,926

Projected job growth through 2026: 12.5 percent

Vacancy rate: 17.2 percent

Adult and literacy teachers — 29.6%

Monthly median wage: $8,882

Wages plus benefits: $13,160

Projected job growth through 2026: -5.8 percent

Vacancy rate: 10.3 percent

Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses — 26.5%

Monthly median wage: $5,322

Wages plus benefits: $9,620

Projected job growth through 2026: 17 percent

Vacancy rate: 10.6 percent

Graphic designers — 25.8%

Monthly median wage: $5,777

Wages plus benefits: $10,538

Projected job growth through 2026: 7.1 percent

Vacancy rate: 13.5 percent

Forest and conservation technicians — 24.0%

Monthly median wage: $3,996

Wages plus benefits: $7,099

Projected job growth through 2026: 8.2 percent

Vacancy rate: 10.6 percent