If you've ever sat at your desk, staring into your computer screen while daydreaming about a better government job, you're not alone. Most of us, at one point or another, become put off by our work, coworkers, bosses, and just generally get bored or sick of the workplaces we're in. It is human nature.
If you're considering a change of pace, you may want to consider the following: federal employees are paid better than state employees. Some of you may know this already, but the differences in pay might just surprise you.
Looking at the chart below easily outlines the large pay differential between state and federal salaries. Adjusted for inflation, federal employees are now making, on average, $25,000 more per year than the average state employee. Adding insult to injury, federal salaries have continued to increase over time, while state salaries plateaued in 1990 and, accounting for inflation, have actually started to slowly decrease.
Inflation aside, average wages for federal and state workers have continued to increase over time, although federal salaries have always remained higher. However, in recent years, as the graph below shows, the absolute salary differences between federal and state workers have become more pronounced recently. The pay gap is wider.
The reason for this stems from the fact that nearly every state requires its annual budget to be balanced at the end of the year, unlike the federal government, which has no qualms about going into debt with the Chinese and Saudis to avoid curtailing spending habits. During tough budgetary times, state salaries are often the first thing to suffer, as governors freeze wage increases to combat rising debt.
So the next time you're thinking about a career change, keep in mind the economic situation. If times are tough and you don't have any moral objections to taking a pay raise when the national debt is rapidly approaching $10 trillion, the federal employ is for you.
