Mississippi’s Public Sector Workers Earn Less than their Counterparts in the Surrounding States

September 21st, 2010

The budget hearings kicked off yesterday with a presentation made by the Mississippi State Personnel Board (MSPB). In a blog post earlier this year, we highlighted the importance of state workers to Mississippi’s economy. During the presentation, several interesting pieces of information were shared:

There are 92,837 total employees in state government – 35 percent of whom are under the Mississippi State Personnel Board.
The average salary for a state employee covered by the MSPB is $34,022. This amount is less than the Self-Sufficiency Standard for a family of three in Hinds County.
Sixty-two percent (62 percent) of employees under the MSPB earn less than the average salary.

Finally, Mississippi’s public sector workers earn less than their counterparts in the surrounding states.

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One final interesting piece of information includes the rate of state employment growth over the last decade. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, there were 32,856 employees, on average, under the MSPB. In FY 2010, there were 32,800 employees on average. As discussions around the budget tighten, public sector workers will undoubtedly draw attention. It’s important to remember that these workers provide vital services, such as keeping communities safe, that Mississippians depend on in easy times and in difficult economic environments.