Authored by Adam Andrzejewski via Forbes.com,
For the first time in history, 19 million public employee salaries at every level of government across America have been mapped and posted online.
The work of our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com tells a compelling story: Public service is supposed to be about serving the people. However, the good intentions of America’s 19 million public employees come at a very high price for the people – nearly $1 trillion. In many cases, taxpayers generously fund these employee salaries.
Our online database is free to use and includes most employees within the federal, state, and local governments. You can search in your backyard or across the nation. Find out just how much public employees made last year. The salary records include name, salary, position title, and employer for 2017.
The data is full of stunning examples.
- Tree trimmers in Chicago lopped off $106,000.
- New York City school janitors cleaned off $165,000 while out earning the principals at $135,000.
- Lifeguards in Los Angeles County, California, made up to $365,000.
- In the small school district in Southlake, Texas (8,000 students), the school superintendent earned $420,000.
Help the reform-minded mayors, school superintendents, legislators and members of Congress by finding the waste, overspending, and bloated government in your very own neighborhood.
Search our interactive map of the top 2 million most highly compensated public employees across America. Just click a pin (your ZIP code) and scroll down to see the results that render in the chart beneath the map. Click here to access the map below.
Search 2 million public employee salaries by ZIP code at OpenTheBooks.com.
Last year, we found 1.7 million public employees earned $100,000 or more. The vast majority – 1.3 million six-figure earners – worked at the state and local levels. There were 105,000 local and state government employees out-earning every governor of the 50 states at a salary of $190,000 or more.
In Texas, 356 municipal employees made more than all governors ($190,000). Some of these towns are small, like Stanton (pop. 2,900), where the manager earned $314,696. In Whitesboro (pop. 4,000) and Manvel (pop. 10,000), the administrators were paid $312,000 and $292,529, respectively.
In Florida, the city attorney of the seaside community Dania Beach, Florida (pop. 32,000) gleaned $436,917 – that’s more than any U.S. president. At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, eight police officers and detectives made between $300,000 and $783,000 last year.
Nearly 10,000 employees of the University of California system pulled down more than $200,000. This includes 65 highly compensated public employees who made between $1 million and $3.6 million.
The top 5 locations for highly compensated public employees.
OPENTHEBOOKS.COM
Across the country, some of the largest salaries were paid out to athletic coaches at public universities. The retired football coach at University of Oregon received a $558,689 annual pension, and the fired Arizona State football coach got a $15 million payout. Nick Saban, at the University of Alabama, made $11 million.
What will you find while searching the public payrolls in your community?
Our recent investigation with Fox 32 Chicago found an Illinois superintendent earning $407,000 in a Calumet City district with only 1,100 students and no high school. Another superintendent made $206,000 in a New Lenox district with only 11 teachers and less than 100 students. Still another superintendent retired on a $300,000 pension at a Park Forest district, but, was then rehired on a $1,200 a day consulting contract – same position, same district.
Before complaining about Washington, D.C., people must insist on good government where they live. The people have the power to hold local politicians accountable for tax and spend decisions. Our mission is to make this information available to citizens and policymakers.
Government payrolls are the No. 1 issue affecting every service: public safety, healthcare, and welfare. Pay, perks, and pension benefits for public employees must be a priority in budgeting and deserve a rigorous, fact-based public debate.
Highly compensated public employees banded by 2017 income.
OPENTHEBOOKS.COM
Compiling this database was a spending genome project of sorts. It was a million-dollar effort. In one year, we filed requests and captured data from nearly 60,000 government employers, broke open the files, mapped the information, and posted it online.
The result is treasure-trove of oversight opportunity. It represents approximately 85% of all public employment at every level of government.
Now, it’s up to you to call out waste and inefficiency in your government bodies. Use our interactive map and search by ZIP code, the top 2 million public employees making more than $95,000. Or, use our website to see all 19 million salary records.
Open the books on your local taxing body. See how they are spending your property, sales, and income taxes. Then, raise your voice and demand better government in your own backyard.
Remember, it’s your money.
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This should come as no surprise. Take an average of all federal rank and file employees and it’s just over $80,000/year compared to the national average for private employees of $42,000. Add in the bene’s and the comparison is laughable. Consider that 7 of the 9 richest counties in the u.s. ring washington, d.c. Then look at house members that have an average net worth of about $4,000,000. Senate net worth is 5X that. Finally presidents, like OBumbler will get more loot than he could spend in 10 lifetimes. Remember this when some scumbag politician talks about ‘public service’.
Now you know why THEY tout democracy at every opportunity. Cause it pays big-for them.
I would rather have a billionaire who wants to become a politician than a politician who wants to become a billionaire.
With Liberty and Justice For All. = My Ass.
We have the Dept. of Just Us for the ruling elite and the Dept. of Justice for us peons.
Like “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW”. Right just ask james comey, hunter biden and ghislaine maxwell.
You are a moron. You still think he did it out of pure sympathy with the poor people.
Gub’ment jobs…..I call it all “earned Welfare”
And, 90% of them are voting democrats, TDS is in their financial interests.
Awhile back I came to the realization that the more I made the more they took…then I looked at how that money was spent. Who is John Galt?
Just realized…
That’s a LOT of parasites.
We are all infinitely aware that we are being raped financially by government employees salaries and benefits . Thanks to a confiscatory tax system and debt borrowing to infinity . Since there is no equal protection under the law , private sector pension and benefit contracts are discharged as unsecured liabilities but government pension and benefit contracts “MUST BE HONORED”!
So as our private sector salaries declined and benefits evaporated our taxes direct and indirect especially thanks to declining buying power of our nations currency increase unchecked . Anyone still wonder why firearms confiscation continues to loom on the horizon ?
They can and will literally tax you out of your home and into the street by just doing my job armed LEO’s . This is and will continue to be done so the government minion class continue to retire in there mid 50’s while you go till you drop to cover it . Again equal protection is nonexistent .
It is only a matter of time now before all government action against private citizens to continue the plunder will be meet with at the very least an equal and opposite reaction !
Will government minions just doing their job minions take all who oppose their alleged legal actions down . Eventually most likely however there are many that can and will mount an adequate defensive opposition that will ultimately fail but will be an eye opener for government bags of shit pushing a free people to far !
FORGET ME NOT
Can this be viewed as greed or am I just envious?
A bit of both.
Their pay was STOLEN from you against your will. Simple disgust and the misery of being a victim are completely appropriate things to feel. Why is greed or envy even part of the discussion? These people did NOT EARN this money. It was STOLEN and then handed to them in exchange for work that the theft victims likely did not want done in the first place.
Really? Greed has everything to do with it.
I sit down at the dinner table with 5 other people. There is a basket of 6 biscuits. I take 5 of them and the other 5 people must share 1 biscuit between them. I’m fat, dumb and happy, the other 5 are angry. Who is greedy and who is envious?
You said take Donkey , you are taking more intentionally depriving others ! You would lose the vote as to who gets tossed overboard in a crowded lifeboat . Hope your a good swimmer
Not the same scenario. The basket of biscuits was put out for all to share (that is the implication of the meal gathering – unless it was described as a “free for all/take whatever you can and screw everyone else kind of meal). In this case, you are indeed being greedy, and they likely are feeling both envious and cheated (given the supposed nature of the meal). In the case of YOUR MONEY, that YOU EARNED, you are simply a victim. Wanting to have your money to spend as you wish is not greedy in any way. You have not been ASKED to voluntarily contribute what you have beyond your needs, but rather the money was simply STOLEN on behalf of these parasites. STOP using the kind of socialist/moralist bullshit terms that THEY USE to instill guilt in the hearts and minds of THEIR VICTIMS!!!
Who’s a glutton?
Is it your greed or envy being discussed, or THEIR’S? The implication is that it is YOUR’S, in which case you should be feeling neither greed NOR envy. They have a job because the government STOLE from you and gave them a job and your money. Where in wanting YOUR money back to spend as YOU desire, is an issue of greed?
Mr. Liberty,
New scenario:
6 people bake 12 biscuits. I, since I am the head of household, takes 10 biscuits because I need to pay the whores who do my bidding and keep you 5 in line. Are you saying greed and envy are not present?
Every .gov person is taking more from everyone else. They control the economy, they enforce the greed of .gov, they enforce regulations etc etc that fuck all of us. To me, that is greed. In fact, I would say controlling others = greed.
Are royalty and their minions greedy? Are public unions demanding more of our $$ without our consent greedy? I say yes.
I had a conversation with the mother of my daughter’s best friend years ago. She was the personal assistant of Senator Byrd at the time. It was not a warm conversation. It had to do with government employee greed. She said, “why don’t you just get a government job”? So, her answer was for me to simply join her in her criminality.
So your clarification is that the greed and envy of which you spoke was directed at the government employees, not you. Very confusing in the way you put it. Government is plagued by covetousness, more than simply greed or envy. I’m not even sure greed is applicable, but envy is certainly there as it is a very close cousin of covetousness. And let’s face it. Wanting more, and I think I have expressed this to you before…is NOT A PROBLEM. If one gains more through one’s hard work, the free and voluntary exchange with others (who then ALSO benefit or the transaction would not be taking place), and other peaceful, voluntary activities, what harm is there? Not sure what happened in your past or a past lifetime, but you seem really hung up on greed and envy. Just make sure you are not judging others with those terms when all they are trying to do is KEEP the money THEY EARNED, from the government thieves.
I am hung up on greed and envy because greed does not get its proper ridicule imo. Envy and greed are both bad and are related.
Can you give me an example of greed that you believe is bad? To me, it seems you call greed stealing but I thought stealing was envy.
I get mad about cronyism and the lack of accountability.
Nobody in government has to produce anything.
Ever.
Donkey you have no idea about the numbers swept under cyber rugs.
Some bits, bytes and botz should never see the light.
Envious ? Benefiting by receiving special treatment at the hands of government power while allowing alleged free market pressures to leave you holding a bag of debt and legally defrauded by bankruptcy laws written and enforced by those who benefit at the hands of your demise while blaming you for your predicament is by no means envious or jealous .
If that were so then when someone is robbed at gun point it’s not victimhood it’s just too damn bad luck for them but good luck for the robber ?
In the state of NJ public employees can “retire” with multiple pensions. Tell me how this is fiscally efficient or even beneficial to taxpayers.
https://nj1015.com/they-get-190000-pensions-nj-retirement-system-costs-hit-11b/
You have no idea how many people I know drawing more than one “pension” check from Uncle Sammy.
Here in Commiefornia we have thousands (if not tens of thousands) of public pensioners suctioning over $100k/yr from the taxpayers.
It’s a racket I tell ya.
Funny to read this, they call out somebody I know, Tom Ansbro, the City attorney of Dania Beach. He’s a really good guy, I’ve dealt with him extensively over the years. One of my employees wife has cut his hair for years, he actually picked up their dinner check Sunday night. I guess he can afford it.
And if he is that “good” a guy, and is performing a task that people actually wish to voluntarily pay for, then he will likely be gainfully employed when his parasitic claws are taken from the taxpayer’s collective wallet. Until then, he is just anther trough feeder.
I’m not defending him, Mr Liberty. That’s an obscene amount to pay any public servant. I have to deal with a lot of government drones these days. Are all vastly overpaid, most are dumb as a rock and nothing but a hindrance to getting anything done. But put yourself in his shoes, or any other government dumbass. They raise your pay, do you not take it? Do you quit in protest when they double your salary? Most of them are simple people, they think they’ve earned it. I don’t think Tom’s quite that dumb
You don’t take the job in the first place. He is an attorney. Plenty of opportunities outside of working for the government. EVERYONE has the free choice.
Sounds like you’re envious.
I wouldn’t say envious. Angry would be a better word. We have elevated the stupid and rewarded them with obscene amounts of money simply because big business finds it much easier to lift that money from them. information technology and data mining makes it so easy. I could bore you with dozens of examples. all of these cities and towns rely on federal grants, and enormous Federal transfer payments to survive. Question always has been, what happens when the free money runs out?
Star,
My comment was meant for Mr. Liberty.
Is it truly ENVY to be repulsed by someone who happily takes from the mouth of another without earning it through voluntary exchange? Do you feel “envy” when you see a rich burglar, bank robber, thief? Is that REALLY the term you would use? Does being disgusted at their behavior automatically call into question whether “envy” is the REAL motivator behind one’s disgust? You are using the terms the progressives and socialists use to try and cloak their THEFT and destruction of liberty in a sanitized wrap of morality. Wanting to keep YOUR money and decide what YOU will do with it is NOT greed. And wanting to keep it from someone who is the recipient of the THEFT of money by the government is also NOT GREED or ENVY. Stop questioning the right of everyone to keep the money THEY EARNED, and spend it as THEY DESIRE, by deriding their property rights with terms like greed and envy. They are completely inappropriate and ONLY serve to enforce the immoral position of the takers.
Mr. Liberty,
I believe you are off on a tangent. Of course it’s theft. I’m saying theft is just as easily greed as it is envy. You don’t seem to ever agree with me on that.
I believe government is greed.
But you are directing these terms (greed and envy) towards folks who are the VICTIMS, as if their victimhood is somehow diminished by a sense of “greed” or “envy” of the government employees who now have their money. You need to be more clear in the targets of your questions. Above, you accused me of being “envious” of a man who willingly chose to have his salary stolen for him by the government, all because I was disgusted at the relationship the government has created in our society. And government is covetousness and envy, more than greed (as far as I am concerned). Plenty within it are indeed greedy, but most of its actions come from the desire to possess that which they do not have (ie – covet).
Ultimately, humans gonna human.
It’s only yours if you can keep it.
Why give 2 shits if it’s envy or greed?
Greed or greedy?
Mags hopes he donates to TBP.
Her modem’s busted so she told me to remind Yo about the final fund run
Government workers should never have been allowed to unionize.
Even FDR opposed the idea, as he correctly recognized that there was no one to bargain on behalf of the taxpayers in a manner that would properly look out for their interests in any labor negotiation. Pretty sad that even a freedom hater/communist lover like FDR can get it, but virtually nobody else can, including those who claim to love freedom.
I don’t know a single person on TBP that doesn’t agree with you concerning public unions. Unless, of course, there is a .gov employee running around here.
Btw, how come no comment on the Zman article?
Will anyone who isn’t part of the new world consolidation be called envious once the world has been consolidated into a few hands and everyone else is starving? The consolidators didn’t steal anything, correct?
This world is headed where it is because of greed. Greed from the ghetto queens below and the monopolies above.
I am open to other opinions and I have high regard for yours and about 10-12 other regulars on TBP.
I sometimes refer to the general population, or the vast numbers of supposed freedom lovers OUTSIDE of this discussion, when I am taking pot shots. Indeed, hatred of government unions (and their completely dysfunctional relationship to the people they are being paid by), is likely universal.
The Zman article on the 2016 onward coup? What’s to comment on? Of course there has been a coup since election night (and serious efforts against him long before that). Only time will tell whether or not anyone actually pays any “penalty” for this heinous crime. To me, the only proper solution is for America to realize that this much power must NEVER remain in the hands of a central government, and so the Federal Government should be dissolved. Anything short of that will simply mean it will happen again, and likely we can expect far worse from our totalitarian leaders in the future (that, or violent civil war).
Nothing “happened” in my past, although I did sit and watch my 4 siblings take everything they could get from my parents. Long story but, I was always the one to give while everyone else took. My father had been ousted as a minority owner (45% ownership) and was so incensed he was carrying a gun around and threatening to harm his ex business partner. Even that did not discourage my siblings from getting whatever they could from my parents. It was at this time I stepped up to the plate to lend my parents money many many times to cover taxes, cars etc. and have been doing for years. I saw my siblings as greedy assed muthas. Yes, my parents willingly did these things for my siblings but they were taken advantage of.
Zman’s article is about consolidation of all things., including private sector commerce. If/when only a few people own all/most commerce, will it be greed that got them there? Will the displaced be envious to want some of what they have? Didn’t King George own America at one time? Were the Patriots greedy or envious to take from the King?
Is it ONLY possible for the IRS to be greedy? No one or no other entity can be greedy?
Yes, I see how my comment(s) above could be confusing. If people are upset at .gov employees making “too much”, that is envy, correct? I mean, they’re just wanting more, correct? If people are not upset with .gov employees making “too much”, how can that be? Don’t the .gov employees support the .gov that is taking from you and me which is greed, correct?
Most government work is “makework.”
I spent more time “inventing” my weekly progress report than working on any project or equipment.
Is what justified my salary.
My weekly report about what I did and why I was worth it.
Hey assholes, that works out to an average of $52,631 and half of those workers make less than that.
Holy shit, EC, average doesn’t mean half more, half less.
“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
That is median not avg
Your half right, Paulita. I guess Donkey never heard of mean, median and mode; they are all averages.
You are mean. I am ala mode.
I wear median.
Take the capital city of the state in which I reside.
All forms of governments have hired those who couldnt/wouldn’t work in the private sector.
Now, take these same illiterates and unionize them.
In no time at all (under a decade) these same illiterates now belong to a political movement ( ie; bowel) that is unbeatable
GOVT MUST BE STARVED
I thought that was going to be the old joke:
“Take the capital city of the state in which I reside.” “Please.”
Does the joke say who is wanted to take the capital city?
This is all over talk radio in DC today.
Why?
Not to excuse but most government employees are convinced that private sector employees get as good or better wages and benefits than they receive . That pendulum swung in favor of government workers and against private sector workers but few will admit it !
Just look at the parking lot of any large government office or school teachers parking then look at the now largest employers parking lot the year and condition of the vehicles tells the tale , oh and most private large employers are near public transportation . Yes I know government employees use it too but many get a pass for it from work (tax payer funded)
Government is evil. It is your enemy. That is the bottom line. Until people understand that fact, government will continue to be the master and the people will be its servants.