Oklahoma state employee pay significantly behind market
A new report finds that government workers are paid significantly less than their counterparts in other sectors. (Photo by Phil Ashley/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY – The average salary for a state employee is significantly lower than comparable jobs in other industries, according to a study by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
The remuneration of civil servants is 48.05% lower than the market, according to the report.
The average salary for an Oklahoma state employee, excluding benefits, is $59,714, compared to $114,950 in the competitive job market, according to the report.
State employees fare a little better in terms of average total benefit costs, coming in below 13.98% of the market.
Combined salaries and benefits place state employees 39.21% below market.
The overall turnover rate improved slightly in FY2025, standing at 21.59% compared to 22.42% the previous year.
In fiscal year 2025, employee turnover cost the state just over $283 million, according to the report.
It is likely that the state will lose even more ground to the market if steps are not taken to alleviate this growing lag, the report said.
While the consumer price index continues to rise, state employees have not seen an overall increase in wages since 2019, the report said.
The report notes that members of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol received a raise a few years ago.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said that over the years various agencies have requested funds to provide pay raises. Public school teachers, for example, received a pay raise.
These exceptions are not listed in the OMES report.
The report’s findings confirm that the gap has reached “a critical breaking point,” according to a statement from the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, which has more than 5,000 members.
Many are forced to choose between the work they love and the financial stability they deserve, the group said.
Employees earning $50,000 in 2019 without a raise experienced a 26.39% reduction in spending power in 2025, according to the report.
Could employees get a raise?
Several measures passed by the Oklahoma Legislature aim to increase pay for state employees.
Parliamentary Bill 2958of Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, would provide a 9 percent pay increase for full-time state employees, starting July 1. This excludes salary increases for colleges, common education and Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
The cost is estimated at $215 million to $220 million, said Gene Blankenship, deputy director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association.
Grego estimates the chance of getting passage is 50%.
“There’s always a chance,” Grego said. “If we don’t ask, there will be no chance.”
Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, authored Senate Bill 1233 it would create a state employees’ compensation commission.
The board would meet in odd-numbered years and recommend adjustments to salaries, benefits and other compensation to the Legislature.
“We need to do an overall increase,” Mann said.
Creating a state employees’ compensation board that meets in non-election years would take politics out of the process and keep the issue before lawmakers, Mann said.
In recent years, state leaders have cut the income tax, eliminated the sales tax on groceries and created a tax credit for those looking to send their children to private schools. State leaders are forecasting a stable budget this year.
Hall said that in a tight budget year, a across-the-board pay raise would pose a significant hurdle. But the state has fallen behind and needs to catch up, he said.
Oklahoma has between 31,000 and 32,000 state employees.
Senate Bill 169of Hall, would increase longevity pay for state employees by 50 percent over all years of service, at a cost of $18 million.
Longevity pay is an annual lump sum paid to full-time employees, based on years of service.
For example, an employee with three years of service currently earns $250 more, while an 18-year employee earns $1,900 more, according to the Office of Management and Business Services.
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