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Despite Gov. DeSantis frequently highlighting salary increases for state employees, a recent report suggests that their wages rank among the lowest in the nation.
TAMPA, Fla. — According to a new report from ZipRecruiter, Florida’s state employees earn the lowest average hourly wage compared to their peers across the United States.
The report, drawing from employer job postings and third-party data, reveals that these employees earn an average of $40.44 per hour, translating to an annual salary of $84,105.
Florida sits at the bottom of the wage list, alongside Arkansas and West Virginia. In comparison, Arkansas state workers earn nearly $9,000 more annually than their Florida counterparts, and West Virginia workers make approximately $3,000 more.
This is notable given that Florida boasts the fourth-largest economy in the country, surpassing the much smaller economic scales of Arkansas and West Virginia.
New York, which has the third-largest economy, was at the top of the list of average government salaries. Coming in at No. 3, the average annual salary was $123,130. Washington took the top spot with a $127,470 average annual salary, closely followed by the District of Columbia with a $127,181 average annual salary.
The range of pay for government employees in Florida is wide across different positions, as some full-time workers make a lot less than $84,105. One full-time worker who is a residential instructor at a school makes $31,681, according to government data. The highest-paid government worker in the state is Gov. Ron DeSantis, who makes $141,400, the data shows.
The governor often touts pay raises for state employees with specific raises and targeted bonuses for specific personnel, such as law enforcement. Yet, Florida is still in last place for pay in the ZipRecruiter study.
This year, Florida approved a 2% raise for all employees in the state personnel system. Florida firefighters received a 25% pay increase, and the minimum annual base pay for state law enforcement officers was increased to $60,000.
The Sunshine State also doesn’t employ that many people, with an average of 96 employees per 10,000 residents, according to a report by the Florida Department of Management Services. The national average is 198.