Ariz. city jobs that earn over $100,000
Engineers, attorneys are among the highest paid
Nearly one in 10 full-time city government employees in the Phoenix area earns a six-figure salary, according to an analysis by The Arizona Republic.
Most of the jobs earning more than $100,000 may not be surprising, such as attorneys, auditors, engineers and financial officers. Their private-sector counterparts often earn as much.
City managers and department directors, which could be compared to chief executives and other upper management in private companies, are among the highest paid in cities.
Other high earners are in uniquely public-sector roles, such as city clerks, judges, librarians and public safety leaders.
The growing fields of cybersecurity and environment offer some city jobs paying more than $100,000, as well.
The Republic’s analysis looked at the 2018 salaries of those who work for the 10 largest cities in metro Phoenix, using a list of employees provided by the cities. The analysis included full-time workers only. In most cases, the annual salary of employees was considered, not the employees’ actual pay for the year.
The Republic’s analysis included city employees in Avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and Tempe.
The number of full-time workers in these cities, which vary greatly in budgets and size, ranges from about 600 in Avondale to about 12,800 in Phoenix, according to the 2018 data.
The rate of full-time employees making more than $100,000 is highest in Tempe and lowest in Phoenix.
Here’s the breakdown of full-time workers who make more than $100,000 in each city:
❚ Avondale: 11.4%
❚ Chandler: 9.4%
❚ Gilbert: 8.6%
❚ Glendale: 6.6%
❚ Mesa: 10.7%
❚ Peoria: 10%
❚ Phoenix: 6.3%
❚ Scottsdale: 8.2%
❚ Surprise: 8.5%
❚ Tempe: 11.9%
25 jobs that commonly earn more than $100,000
Along with police and fire chiefs, city managers, assistant and deputy city managers, and department directors, here are 25 other city jobs that often earn a base salary of more than $100,000 in the Phoenix area:
❚ Accounting manager ❚ Budget manager
❚ City attorney
❚ City auditor
❚ City clerk
❚ Court administrator
❚ Database administrator
❚ Energy resources coordinator or manager
❚ Engineers - city, civil or traffic
❚ Environmental programs manager or coordinator
❚ Facilities manager
❚ Fire - assistant chief, fire marshal, battalion chief
❚ Fleet manager
❚ Forensic scientist
❚ GIS manager
❚ Grants manager
❚ IT managers
❚ Judge
❚ Library director or head librarian
❚ Planning manager
❚ Police - assistant chief, lieutenant or commander
❚ Programmers and software engineers
❚ Risk manager
❚ Tourism manager
❚ Water resources manager Adding overtime often pushes many other public safety positions, such as police sergeants and fire captains, over the $100,000 mark.
Many of these positions require several years of experience and advanced degrees.
In Phoenix, upper management positions such as directors require at least five years of experience in a related field, which includes supervisory experience, and a master’s degree is often preferred, said Matthew Heil, a city spokesman.
Other combinations of education and experience can be substituted for the required experience, but, Heil said, in reality, most candidates exceed the minimum requirements.
Median city salary varies
The median salary for full-time city government employees varies by city.
Gilbert has the lowest median salary, at about $57,866, and Chandler has the highest, at about $68,131.
Here’s the breakdown of median city government employee salary by city:
❚ Gilbert: $57,866
❚ Surprise: $58,240
❚ Peoria: $59,085 ❚ Avondale: $60,320 ❚ Phoenix: $61,510 ❚ Scottsdale: $63,315 ❚ Glendale: $64,937 ❚ Tempe: $65,817 ❚ Mesa: $66,851 ❚ Chandler: $68,131 This does not include overtime or other compensation.
Some Phoenix jobs are not competitive
Phoenix hopes to do a comprehensive private sector market survey to see whether its jobs are comparable to the private sector, Heil said.
Even without the survey, he said, the city realizes certain jobs are not competitive.
“There are plenty of cases when a job is posted, and we don’t get any good candidates,” he said in an email, using information from the city’s human resources staff.
This isn’t necessarily unique to highdollar jobs. In order to remain competitive and hire talented workers, Heil said, the city needs to increase salaries.
When it comes to blue-collar work in Phoenix, the private sector often pays better, said Mario Ayala, president of a Phoenix employee union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 2384.
Years ago, Ayala said, the government benefits made up for the lower salaries.
But, especially in the past decade, he said, the city’s wages and compensation have failed to keep up with the private sector, and with other cities in the Phoenix area.
“There are a lot of corporations with benefits pretty comparable, and pay is a lot higher,” he said.