Pay comparability in state governments

Earnings differentials between state government and private industry employees are estimated for each state using 1990 Census data. Female employees in most state governments receive higher earnings than comparable private sector employees, whereas the opposite result applies to males. However, the size of the state government earnings advantage or penalty is not uniform across states for either sex. The relative earnings of state employees increase with their membership in unions and with the revenues generated by state government’s tax and financing policies.