MADISON— Wisconsin had 8.2% fewer state and local government employees per capita than the national average in 2008. The state had 50.35 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees for every 1,000 state residents vs. 54.82 for the U.S. and ranked 41st nationally, according to a new study from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX). The study, "Wisconsin’s Public Workforce," details public employment and pay using 2008 Census figures, the most recent available. WISTAX is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to public policy research and education.

The study also compares public employee salaries and total compensation (salaries plus benefits) at the state and local levels. The average salary for a Wisconsin state employee was $53,703, 4.3% higher than the national average ($51,507). State salaries here were above those in Michigan but below salaries in Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. When estimated benefits were added to salaries, total compensation averaged $71,000. That was 5.9% above the national average, but still below Iowa and Minnesota.

Salaries for local employees averaged $45,521, 4.9% below the U.S. average. Salaries here were higher than in Iowa but lower than in other neighboring states. When benefits and salaries were combined, local compensation averaged $60,737, or 2.6% less than the national average.

While the number of FTE employees in Wisconsin government increased 6.4% (17,009 positions) from 1997 to 2008, per capita public employment declined 0.5% during that time. In 1997, Wisconsin had 50.58 state-local employees per 1,000 residents, compared to 50.35 in 2008. Since 1997, public employment in Wisconsin relative to population averaged 3.3% less than the U.S., although the gap has widened in recent years, WISTAX said.

In keeping with the state’s tradition of providing most services locally, over three-quarters of Wisconsin’s 283,351 public employees worked in local government. The Badger State had 214,332 FTE local employees, or 38.08 workers for every 1,000 residents. Nearly 61% of local employees worked in education, while 9.5% of worked in police and fire positions. Compared with all 50 states, Wisconsin’s local government employment per capita ranked 33rd.

Local governments in Wisconsin also employed fewer full-time employees than the U.S. and most neighbors. In 2008, 66.0% of local employees were considered full-time vs. 76.5% nationally. Minnesota (62.7%) used

even fewer full-time workers than Wisconsin, while Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan used more. When employees in K-12 instruction were compared, Wisconsin (80.3%) also had fewer full-time staff than the nation (81.7%).

The WISTAX analysis of state and local employment combined shows education represented the largest share of Wisconsin’s public workforce. About 57.9% of all government employees worked in elementary and secondary (42.5%) or higher (15.4%) education. Police and fire protection (7.5%) was the next largest area, followed by legal and corrections (7.1%).