Public vs private pay · Wyoming

Public vs private sector pay in Wyoming by occupation (2023)

Data snapshot 2023-12-31 · part of High Floor, Low Ceiling: How Public-Sector Wage Compression Erodes Public Service

In 2023, the median state and local government worker in Wyoming earned $29.55 an hour against $27.94 in the private sector, a gap of +6%. At the 90th percentile the government wage was $48.35 against $52.49 privately (-8%). Both figures are real hourly wages from the same-state ACS sample, unadjusted for education and experience.

Sample sizes by occupation in Wyoming are small; read the domain rows as indicative.

Public vs private pay in Wyoming by occupation, 2023

Public vs private median real hourly wage by state and domain. Private comparator is same-state PUMS (place-of-residence). * marks a small unweighted cell in at least one sector; treat those rows as rough. Source: acs_pums.
Occupation domainGovernment median $/hrPrivate median $/hrGap at medianGovernment 90th pctPrivate 90th pctGap at 90th
All occupations$29.55$27.94+6%$48.35$52.49-8%
Admin and clerical *$24.61$22.35+10%$48.52$43.78+11%
Education *$27.00$23.82+13%$44.91$46.27-3%
Engineering *$32.31$40.73-21%$46.75$128.62-64%
Finance *$35.96$31.82+13%$47.98$105.22-54%
Healthcare *$31.82$31.27+2%$53.72$54.23-1%
Legal *$25.34$52.70-52%$79.49$107.45-26%
Management *$37.61$33.88+11%$53.02$57.86-8%
Protective service *$29.55$18.65+58%$42.74$41.26+4%
Skilled trades *$33.28$30.09+11%$54.08$48.89+11%
Software and IT *$19.50$43.42-55%$42.39$78.07-46%

How to read this

Raw medians compare different people: government employs more teachers, nurses, and degree-holders than the private sector does. The parent piece adjusts for education and experience nationally (federal pay 7% above comparable private workers, state pay 17% below, local pay 17% below) and shows the gap opening at the top of the ladder, where private pay in software, law, finance, and engineering has pulled away. This state table is the unadjusted view; the methodology appendix explains both.

Sources

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