For some, California pays better than other employers, latest compensation survey shows

For some jobs, working for California is a better financial decision than taking a job in the private sector or other government employers, according to the state’s most recent compensation survey.

The latest effort by the California Department of Human Resources to contextualize state employees’ salaries found the majority of the 30 occupations analyzed were better paid compared with California’s competitors: the local and federal government and large private companies.

The published survey compared workers’ 2023 salaries with those of other non-state employed people with the same job. The survey analyzed 30 jobs covered by one of nine bargaining units (2, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, and 19.)

The study found that of the 30 jobs analyzed, six state jobs had overall lower compensation packages, which includes pay and benefits, when compared with the market average. Those included lawyers, detectives and criminal investigators, police and sheriff’s patrol officers, environmental scientists and medical specialists, psychiatrists and pharmacists. The difference between California’s total compensation and the market average for those jobs ranged between 4% and 26%.

Forensic science technicians, painters, maintenance workers and family medicine physicians were some of the most well-compensated state employees compared with their private sector counterparts. The total compensation for dentists who work for California was 47% higher than the market average.

Labor groups representing some of these employees, such as the state attorneys’ union, have pointed out the discrepancies between public and private workers’ salaries. Those unions have called on the state to increase salaries, in part, to attract more-qualified applicants to civil service jobs.

Considering wages only, the survey found that California salaries were lower than the market average wages for several other occupations such as electricians and highway maintenance workers.

The survey found the largest gaps in total compensation were for state employees making less than their counterparts in more expensive parts of California. For example, detectives and criminal investigators working in the Sacramento region receive nearly 50% less in total compensation as do federal workers who do similar work in the area.

CalHR noted the survey doesn’t indicate whether the pay and benefits are appropriate for the job.

Along with the compensation survey, CalHR published dashboards with statistics about the vacancy and turnover rates, compensation breakdown and demographics of the 30 different occupations.