Total Compensation Survey (2008)

Survey Background and Methodology

This is the fourth Total Compensation Survey conducted by CPS Human Resource Services (CPS) on behalf of the State of California Department of Personnel Administration (DPA). The first, involving a wide variety of benchmark classifications, was conducted in 2006. The second survey, involving Firefighter and related benchmark classes, was conducted in late 2006 and early 2007. The third survey, involving Public Safety classes, was completed in the latter part of 2007.

A Total Compensation Survey seeks data with regard to all the key components of compensation in order to quantify the total value of those components, and facilitate comparisons of the complete compensation packages offered by various employers. For this Total Compensation Survey, those compensation components are:

• Minimum and maximum base salary
• Employer contributions to employee deferred compensation accounts
• Longevity pay, education incentives, and other special pays
• Employer contributions for health, dental and vision insurance; or for a cafeteria benefit plan
• Employer pickup of the employee retirement contribution, if any
• Employer contributions to Social Security/Medicare

The combination of these compensation components typically exceeds the cost of the base salary for a benchmark class quite substantially, and, for the purposes of this Survey, constitutes the Total Compensation offered to employees.

In addition to these components, information has been collected regarding a number of other elements of compensation, including the features of the retirement plan and the retiree health, dental and vision benefits provided to retirees, as well as the employer cost of retirement related benefits.

For the General Classification Group, data was sought from the Federal Government and forty-seven California cities and counties. It is presented on both a statewide basis, and broken down into the four geographic regions. The survey agencies by region are shown on the following pages.

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For the Education Classification Group, data was sought from the sixteen County Offices of Education shown below. Due to the relatively small number of survey respondents, the data gathered from the Education Group classes is presented on a statewide basis only.

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The next section of this report provides information concerning the specific benchmark classes within the General Classification and Education Classification Groups, including the number of survey matches reported for each benchmark class.

CPS prepared survey instruments for the General Classification Group and the Education Classification Group, and distributed them to survey respondents in early September 2007, seeking information concerning compensation practices in effect as of September 1, 2007. The survey instruments, which can be found in Appendices 6 and 7, include descriptions of each benchmark class. Data was collected in October and November 2007, with data analysis and report preparation occurring in December 2007 and January 2008.

The tables presented in the body of this report compare the maximum base salary and the maximum Total Compensation offered by the State of California to the median maximum base salary and median maximum Total Compensation reported by survey respondents for each benchmark class. The median represents the midpoint of the data - the point at which there are an equal number of higher and lower compensation levels as reported by survey respondents - and is typically utilized in surveys as a valid point of comparison. The median has been the comparison point utilized in the prior Total Compensation Surveys conducted by CPS on behalf of DPA.

In these tables the relationship of the State of California and survey respondent base salary and Total Compensation data is presented as a percentage in the "State Relationship to Median" column. The number shown in this column is the percentage by which the State of California base salary or Total Compensation would have to be adjusted to equal the survey median. If the State of California base salary or Total Compensation is higher than the survey median, a positive percentage is shown; if it is lower, a negative percentage is shown.

The Appendices to this report contain a great deal of the detailed data gathered in this Total Compensation Survey, including the specific compensation data reported by each survey respondent for each benchmark classification. For information purposes, the detailed compensation spreadsheets also compare the mean, or average, State of California maximum base salary and Total Compensation to the mean base salary and mean Total Compensation reported by survey respondents for each benchmark class.

By definition, a Total Compensation Survey presents a snapshot of the compensation practices in effect at a specific point in time. For this Survey, that point in time is September 1, 2007. Compensation practices and policies are dynamic and subject to constant revision and adjustment. Because of the large number of benchmark classes, components of compensation, and survey respondents that are the subject of this Total Compensation Survey, there is no doubt that, as of the date of issuance of this report, there has been some adjustment to the September 1, 2007 compensation levels it presents.

It should also be noted that there has been no weighting or statistical manipulation of the data presented in this report. This Survey gathered the actual base salary and Total Compensation levels provided to the benchmark classes by the specific survey respondents, and compares that data to the actual base salary and Total Compensation offered to those benchmark classes by the State of California. In making these types of comparison, statistical manipulation of data is not necessary.

Updated September 2, 2008 at 10:12 AM.