Californians are servants of their public servants

By Thomas Lifson

Who's the boss? In California, it looks like the alleged "public servants" working for the state are the overlords. Startling information from the Sacramento Bee:

State workers make more than the "boss." California state employees' average base pay in 2008 was $63,815, according to a Bee analysis of state wage data that excluded the university systems. The median, the point at which half earn more and half earn less, was $66,006.

Meanwhile, federal statistics show that the average wage among all Californians last year was $48,090 and the median was $36,441.

Hat tip: John Grigorian

Update -- More from the SacBee:

Column extra: Details behind the state median wage

Our State Worker column is limited by space, but visitors to this blog get extra info, Web links, notes and quotes that don't see print but still inform what we write.

The column in today's fiber and cyber Bee mentions that the state's median annual wage for the state's civil servants in 2008 was $66,006, excluding folks who work for the college and university systems.

Here are some details about that number, sent to us by Bee colleague Phillip Reese, the database guru who ran the analysis using numbers provided by the state:

Pay Group ........... Most common job titles .........................................Median Base Pay, 2008
Bottom 20% ...............Typist, Custodian ............................. $34,678
Next 20% .........Staff Services Analyst, Employment Program representative........................................................................$50,143
Next 20% ..Associate Governmental Program Analyst ......... $66,006
Next 20% ...Transportation Engineer, Correctional Officer ... $83,938
Top 20% ..Highway Patrol Officer, Registered Nurse ..........$110,858

Another statistic we didn't include in the column: While the average annual state worker base pay in 2008 was $63,815, include overtime and the number rises to $70,627.

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