Mapping the Public Workforce: State Government Employment Trends in 2024
State Government Employment Trends Post-COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, state and federal policy sought to stabilize the economy and job market. Today we still see the effects on public employment, where some states have experienced recovery at differing rates.
According to the Census Bureau, state and local government employment increased by 2.5 percent from March 2023 to 2024, to a total of 19.9 million employed. Total government employment recovered by 2023 with local (+351,000 jobs) and state government (+273,000) leading the way. Rates continue to rise.
2024 Full-time State Employment
Of the nearly 20 million employed by state or local government, as recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since March of 2020 local government employment accounted for 72.3 percent of growth, while state government made up the remainder.
15.4 million employees were classified as full-time and 4.5 million as part-time. According to US DataLabs, Alaska has had the greatest number of full-time state government employees per population since at least 2007, with 2,780 full-time employees per 100,000 population in 2024. US DataLabs government employment data excludes K-12 education.
Number of Full-Time Employees per 100k Population
Figure 1: Number of full-time state government employees per 100k population from 2007 to 2024. Data from Pioneer’s US DataLab’s website.
The large disparity between Alaska and the rest of the nation comes from its abundance of natural resources workers (2,028) and highway workers (2,174). These sectors alone make up over 20 percent of state government employment.
The states with the lowest number of full-time state employees in relation to their populations include Florida, Nevada, Illinois, Arizona, and Texas. In order, California, Texas, and New York have the highest overall number of full-time state employees.
Figure 2: Top five states with the highest and lowest number of full-time state employees in 2024. Data is from Pioneer’s US DataLabs website.
Regionally, the Far West and Rocky Mountain regions have the greatest average of full-time employees with approximately 1,682 and 1,546 employees per 100,000 respectively. The region with the lowest average is the Great Lakes with roughly 1,035 per 100,000.
State Employment Wages
California had the highest average yearly pay for full-time state employees in 2024 at $108,414, while Arkansas had the lowest at $62,583. California consistently held the highest average pay from 2007 to 2024, with the next four highest states in 2024, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Alaska, steadily increasing alongside California during that period. Meanwhile, West Virginia and Arkansas lagged with the lowest averages, and from 2023 to 2024 Idaho was the only state to lower its average pay for state employees due to state tax cuts and diverging funds, leading to constraints on pay increases.
Figure 3: Top and bottom 5 states’ 2024 average yearly pay for full-time government employees. Data collected from Pioneer’s US DataLabs website.
Part time Employment and Wages
According to Pioneer’s US DataLabs, Arkansas has the highest number of part-time employees with 7.5 for every 10 full-time employees. It also ranks 14th in the country with the highest ratio of full- to part-time pay ($62,583 vs. $17,796). In contrast, Wisconsin has the lowest number, with 1.3 part-time to every 10 full-time employees, and it ranks 21st in full- to part-time pay ratio ($86,078 vs. $22,956).
Figure 4: Top and bottom 5 states according to number of part-time employees per 10 full-time employees in 2024. Data from Pioneer’s US DataLab’s website.
The smallest difference between full and part-time pay is in Vermont, with full-time employees having an average yearly pay of $88,963 while part-time employees average $33,907. The largest variation is in Iowa with a $92,392 average for full-time employees and a $11,821 average for part-time employees). Salaries vary drastically due to factors such as cost of living, state budgets, and the job market.
Conclusion
The state government workforce has seen a shift after the COVID-19 pandemic. While employment has largely recovered nationally, significant differences remain between states in overall employment, pay, and the ratio of full– to part–time workers. These differences are largely the result of state policy and priorities, as exemplified by Idaho’s reforms that led to slower growth in pay compared to other states. Government employment is not only about state priorities, but also the broader economic conditions. With state revenue growth slowing, other states may follow Idaho’s lead – limiting pay increases and growth in the state’s public workforce.
