This week, Massachusetts released its 2023 gross salaries for state employees and their rankings.
Despite the departure of 1,200 employees, the total amount paid increased to $9.33 billion, up 4% from 2022.
Translated, the average annual income of all government employees is just over $68,000.
The top 10 highest-paid employees are all from the UMass university system.
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The data shows that
- 1.66 billion (18%) went to the UMass University system
- The MBTA ranked second with $715 million
- The court of first instance ranked third, with $698 million
UMass Amherst men's basketball coach Frank Martin leads the list with $1.66 million in annual revenue, up from $705,000 in 2022.
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A university spokesman said Martin was hired in the spring of 2022, so his total salary for 2023 is equivalent to his "base salary for a full year as originally contracted."
Excluding employees at the UMass University system, the highest-paid state employee is the chief medical examiner in Massachusetts, earning about $505,000, but including $211,000 in overtime pay.
MBTA general manager Philip Eng can only rank around 180th in terms of income, with an annual income of $313,000.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is even more surprising, ranking 1,200th with an annual income of $220,000.
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Chieppo, a senior researcher, noted that the highlight of the data is that despite the decline in headcount, state government payroll costs continue to rise, a phenomenon that may be driven by the cost of overtime, as well as the rising cost of employee benefits.
He has held many positions in MBTA and found that overtime pay is 2-3 times the basic salary.
Rhode Island Government Employee Salary
On December 28, neighboring Rhode Island also released a data on state employee wages.
Five of the top 10 salaries are from the University of Rhode Island System (URI), while the remaining are one doctor and two nurses at a state hospital, and two CSD officials.
However, the income of the two correctional department officials can be squeezed into the top 10, not because the basic salary is high, but because they work too much overtime.
- Mark . E Wilbur earns $405,000 a year, including $271,000 in overtime pay.
- John earns $355,000 a year, including $223,000 in overtime pay.
There have been media reports that Rhode Island prison guards work thousands of marathon 32-hour shifts every year, without sleep.
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The Correctional Services Department responded that the prison is operated on a full-time basis and only overtime can ensure that all shifts work properly and maintain safety.
Combined with all the data, whether it is Rhode Island or Massachusetts,
Most high-income employees don't have that much of a base salary, but when combined with overtime pay, they can even double their annual income.
Are there any people who work in government agencies? Is overtime pay really that high?