Pay gaps for public-sector workers have grown since the pandemic: Differences between government and private-sector earnings
| Pre-pandemic | Pandemic and post-pandemic | |
|---|---|---|
| All | -13.9% | -17.6% |
| All (with additional demographic controls) | -12.6% | -16.1% |
| By education: | ||
| No bachelor’s degree | 0.5% | -2.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree | -22.5% | -25.7% |
| By race and ethnicity: | ||
| White | -17.6% | -21.2% |
| Black | -0.2% | -3.8% |
| Hispanic | 1.0% | -2.5% |
| AAPI/other | -15.9% | -21.6% |
| By gender: | ||
| Men | -11.1% | -14.6% |
| Women | -11.4% | -15.3% |
Notes: Public-sector pay gaps are differences in the weekly earnings of full-time government workers, working 35+ hours per week, ages 18–64, compared with those of their private-sector counterparts, controlling for education, age, hours worked, state, and year using regression analysis. Regressions with additional demographic controls also adjust for race, ethnicity, gender, immigrant and marital status. Hispanic refers to Hispanic workers of any race, while white, Black, and AAPI/other refer to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and non-Hispanic Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and other racial categories, respectively.
Source: Authors’ analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey microdata, pooled Outgoing Rotation Group sample (Flood et al. 2020 merged with EPI 2024). The pre-pandemic period is March 2016–February 2020; the pandemic and post-pandemic period is March 2020–February 2024.
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