The Average State Employee Salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that nearly 2.3 million workers work for state agencies and state government as of May 2009. Because of the large number of workers and the wide variety of occupations in which they’re engaged, from government officials and law enforcement to clerks and road maintenance workers, estimating an average salary for all workers in this massive sector of the economy is difficult and prone to inaccuracies, although the BLS estimates the median annual salary for all state-employed workers at $49,240.

Governors

As the chief executive officer in every state, a state’s governor salary may indicate the condition of a state’s overall ability to pay high wages to its employees. The average salary for U.S. governors is $124,398 as of 2007, according to Stateline.org. California pays its governor the highest salary, $206,500, while the governor of Maine receives the smallest annual salary, $70,000. The paychecks state legislatures approve for their governors don’t always reflect their actual earnings, as governors such as California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tennessee’s Phil Bredsen returned their paychecks to state coffers. New Jersey’s Jon Corzine works for a mere $1 a year.

State Patrol

A state’s state patrol or state police force serves as its primary law-enforcement agency, and works to enforce laws as well as educate drivers about traffic safety. Nationwide, the average annual salary for a state patrol officer is $45,316 as of January 2011, according to Salary.com, with half of all state troopers earning between $36,257 and $54,779. Patrol officers employed by state agencies — rather than local governments, colleges or federal agencies — earned the highest average salaries in law enforcement.

Accountants, Auditors and Tax Collectors

More than 36,000 workers are employed as accountants or auditors by state agencies. When employed by state government, these workers have average annual salaries of $50,040 as of May 2009, according to the BLS. The 25,250 tax examiners and collectors employed by state departments of revenue earn average salaries of $48,310 as of May 2009, according to the BLS. The Internal Revenue Service employs more tax officials than all state revenue departments combined as of May 2009, according to the BLS.

Transportation Maintenance Workers

With thousands of miles of state highways to maintain in most states, highway maintenance workers are charged with building new roadways and maintaining the ones owned by the state. Highway maintenance workers receive average hourly wages of $14.21 per hour as of January 2011, according to State University. That’s equivalent to an annual salary of $29,556. According to the BLS, highway maintenance workers employed by states receive higher wages than any sector in private industry.

Caseworkers and Probation Officers

In addition to maintaining infrastructure, many states actively engage in efforts to help improve the quality of their citizens’ lives through social service programs. Child and family social workers employed by state agencies earn an average annual salary of $43,380 as of May 2009, according to the BLS. Probation officers employed by states receive average salaries of $51,490.

References

• Stateline: Govs' Salaries
• State University: Highway Maintenance Worker
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers - Occupational Employment and Wages
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Tax Examiners, Collectors and Revenue Agents
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Highway Maintenence Workers

Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: State Government - Employment and Wage Estimates