The brief’s key findings are:
- Critics claim that the compensation of state-local workers is overly generous.
- Previous studies have found mixed results.
- Our analysis finds that compensation of state-local and private sector workers is roughly similar:
- state-local workers earn 9.5 percent less than comparable private sector workers; but
- this wage gap is mostly offset by higher pension and retiree health benefits.
- Thus, before making major changes to public compensation, policymakers should carefully consider the specifics of their state or locality.
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