A review of the Workforce Reports by the Kansas Department of Administration from 2000 through 2008 shows the number of state employees is up a modest 1.7%. However, there has been a trend to shift state workers from classified employees to unclassified employees at a higher salary.
In 2008 there were 12.8% fewer classified employees than in 2000, but 30.9% more unclassified employees. Average salaries for classified employees were up 27.5% during this period, while average salaries for unclassified employees were up 21.5%.
With the shift to more classified employees, and a different ratio of unclassified to classified employees, the total salaries of all state workers were actually up 33.4%. The cost to each citizen in Kansas to pay state worker salaries increased from $489 in 2000 to $627 in 2008, which is a 28.2% increase over the period.
During this same period the consumer price index was up only 23.3%. The cost of Kansas government is increasing at a slightly higher rate than consumer prices. Several tables and charts below tell this story.
Table 1 below shows the raw data from the Workforce Reports from the Kansas Department of Administration. The 2008 report only became available recently.
Table 1. Profile of Classified and Unclassified Employees in Kansas, 2000-2008.
Classified-Unclassified State of Kansas Employees
The data from Table 1 above can be better visualized in the following two charts.
Chart 1 shows the number of employees for the classified and unclassified categories, and the gradual shift decreasing the number of classified employees and increasing the number of unclassified employees since Kathleen Sebelius was elected Governor.
The 2008 Workforce Report uses 1998 as the basis year, and presents results slightly differently:
The number of employees has decreased by 3% since 1998. Since FY 1998, the number of unclassified employees has increased 22.6%, while the number of classified employees has decreased 15.9%.
When 2000 is used as the basis year, the corresponding numbers show a 1.7% increase in total employees, with 30.9% more unclassified employees and 12.8% fewer classified employees.
Chart 1. State of Kansas Employees by Year
Chart 1 shows the shift from classified employees to unclassified employees from 2000 through 2008, while Chart 2 shows both groups received salary increases over the same time range. The average salary for classified employees increased 27.5% from 2000 to 2008, while the unclassified average salary increased 21.5%.
Chart 2. Average State Employee Salary by Year
Kansas Employee Salaries by Year
Table 2 below shows total employee salaries, and some additional statistics by Kansan.
The total salary for all employees by year is a weighted sum of the two groups:
Total Salaries = Classified Employees * Average Classified Salary +
Unclassified Employees * Average Unclassified Salary
Dividing the Total Salaries by the Kansas population gives the state government salary burden per Kansan. The per person burden has increased by 28.2% since 2000, and each citizen must now pay $627 to pay state government salaries. We have 4.1% more Kansans, but we have a larger increase in state government as measured by state worker salaries.
But this increase is not quite as shocking, when compared to the increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the same period. Total salaries are up 33.4% while the CPI was only up 23.3% during the same period. State government is costing us more than other goods and services.
Table 2. State Worker Cost for each Kansas Citizen, 2000-2008.
So how does Kansas compare to other states?
Oddly, all the Workforce reports from 2002-2008 give 2002 census numbers and show these same rankings for the last 7 years:
- Kansas Population (2002): 32nd rank
- Kansas Number of State Employees: 29th rank
- Kansas Average Annual State Workers’ Salary: 30th rank
Why haven’t these values been updated since 2002?
The think tank Maine Heritage Policy Center publishes Maine by the Numbers, which shows various comparisons among the states. The 2008-2009 Maine by the Numbers publication gives these updated numbers for Kansas for the cost of state government relative to other states:
- Kansas Population (2007): 33rd rank
- Kansas State Government Employees per 100 Private Sector Employees (2006): 4.78 for a 27th rank
- Kansas Government Employee Compensation Above Average of Private Sector (2006): $686 above the private sector, 38th rank
[Colorado is $1215 below the private sector and a rank just below Kansas at 39. Missouri is $3528 below the private sector for a rank of 49]
Tags: Kansas Government, Salaries, State Employees
