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Salary Information for MPAs/MPPs

 

Salary Statistics for MPA Degree Graduates

If you change your BA to a Master’s Degree, your salary is likely to increase by a substantial amount. 

General Salary Statistics for Master’s Degrees

According to the U.S. Bureau of Census, in 2004 for people 25 years and over, the median income was $53,581 for a Bachelor’s Degree and $67,361 for a Master’s. 

Average Salaries for an MPA by Job Type

Job Type Salary Range Median Salary
Executive Director, NPO $34,000 - $66,500 $60,000
Human Resources Director $79,525 - $97,750 $88,000

Management Analyst
$43,750 - $56,163 $51,000
Policy Analyst  $35,000 - $53,844 $45,000
Consultant, Business $57,500 - $74,500 $60,000
Program Administrator, NPO $40,000 - $55,000 $40,000
Director of Program Management, Human Services  $55,000 - $70,000 $60,000
Purchasing Manager  $48,750 - $56,250 $52,500
Entry-Level Federal Position (Grade 11) $46,189 - $60,049 $53,000
Mid-Career Federal Position (Grade 13) $65,832 - $85,578 $75,000

Private sector salary information from PayScale. Federal Government salary information from the US Office of Personal Management. This information does not account for different localities or the cost of living. 


Case Study: Average salaries for MPA’s who graduated from Baruch College (2003)

As the two pie charts show, MPA graduates earn higher salaries—over half earn $50,000 or more—as opposed to non-MPA’s, less than a fourth of whom earn the same amount. 

Charts derived from information on the Baruch College website.

The line graph to the left accentuates this point by showing that a higher percentage of MPA’s are in the higher income brackets. The bottom line is, MPA’s earn more than those only with a graduate degree. 



SALARIES IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: 2009

The federal government has a General Schedule (GS) pay scale that is based upon grades and steps. In the two tables below, you see how much an individual earns at each grade and step. When individuals enter the federal government after earning their undergraduate degrees, they will usually enter as a GS-7. On the other hand, the lowest grade at which a person who has completed a masters program, such as an MPA or MPP, will enter is a GS-9 (and many enter at higher grades). Federal employees' salaries tend to advance about 2 steps per year.

In the tables below, the GS-7 pay rates for 2009 are highlighted in blue, while the GS-9 pay rates are highlighted in red. Comparing the GS-7 and GS-9 pay rates illustrates the higher salaries associated with MPA/MPP degrees.

The first table below shows the base General Schedule pay rates for 2009. The second table shows the 2009 General Schedule pay rates for the Washington, DC area. 

2009 Federal Employee Pay Tables*

INCORPORATING THE 2.90% GENERAL SCHEDULE INCREASE
EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2009
Annual Rates by Grade and Step

Grade

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

7

33477

34593

35709

36825

37941

39057

40173

41289

42405

43521

8

37075

38311

39547

40783

42019

43255

44491

45727

46963

48199

9

40949

42314

43679

45044

46409

47774

49139

50504

51869

53234

10

45095

46598

48101

49604

51107

52610

54113

55616

57119

58622

11

49544

51195

52846

54497

56148

57799

59450

61101

62752

64403

12

59383

61362

63341

65320

67299

69278

71257

73236

75215

77194

13

70615

72969

75323

77677

80031

82385

84739

87093

89447

91801

14

83445

86227

89009

91791

94573

97355

100137

102919

105701

108483

15

98156

101428

104700

107972

111244

114516

117788

121060

124332

127604

 

* Source: U.S. Office of Personal Management; see 
http://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/index.asp

Pay Rate if enter without MPA/MPP (GS-7)
Pay Rate if enter after completing MPA/MPP (GS-9)


2009 Federal Employee Pay Table-
Washington, DC/Baltimore*

INCORPORATING THE 2.90% GENERAL SCHEDULE INCREASE AND 
A LOCALITY PAYMENT OF 23.10%

FOR THE LOCALITY PAY AREA OF WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE-NORTHERN VIRGINIA, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA

(See http://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/locdef.asp for definitions of locality pay areas.)
(TOTAL INCREASE: 4.78%)

EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2009
Annual Rates by Grade and Step

Grade

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

Step 10

7

41210

42584

43958

45332

46705

48079

49453

50827

52201

53574

8

45639

47161

48682

50204

51725

53247

54768

56290

57811

59333

9

50408

52089

53769

55449

57129

58810

60490

62170

63851

65531

10

55512

57362

59212

61063

62913

64763

66613

68463

70313

72164

11

60989

63021

65053

67086

69118

71151

73183

75215

77248

79280

12

73100

75537

77973

80409

82845

85281

87717

90154

92590

95026

13

86927

89825

92723

95620

98518

101416

104314

107211

110109

113007

14

102721

106145

109570

112995

116419

119844

123269

126693

130118

133543

15

120830

124858

128886

132914

136941

140969

144997

149025

153053

153200


* Source: U.S. Office of Personal Management; see

http://www.opm.gov/oca/09tables/html/dcb.asp 

Pay Rate if enter without MPA/MPP (GS-7)
Pay Rate if enter after completing MPA/MPP (GS-9)




NATIONAL AVERAGE ANNUAL SALARIES IN
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS: 2001*


Position  Salary ($)
Chief elected official 20,719
City manager 85,587
Chief administrative officer 67,669
Primary assistant manager/CAO 69,847
Clerk 45,718
Chief financial officer 66,923
Health officer 59,286
Treasurer 47,241
Public works director 61,982
Engineer 69,468
Human services director 58,709
Public safety director 63,629
Police chief 65,024
Fire chief 64,529
Economic development director 65,591
Planning director 64,155
Human Resources director 60,313
Risk manager 57,874
Parks and recreation director 57,857
Superintendent of parks 48,513
Recreation director 49,416
Chief librarian 50,078
Information services director 67,034
Purchasing director 52,156

* Source: International City/Council Management Association, 2001; see www.icma.org.


 

ADDITIONAL WEBSITES OFFERING SALARY INFORMATION

Career Journal from The Wall Street Journal
http://www.careerjournal.com/salaries/index.htm                                     
Search the database for salary data by job title, or review salary and hiring trends by industry or job title.

JobStar
http://jobstar.org/tools/salary/sal-prof.cfm                                               
JobStar provides links and descriptions of 300 + salary surveys or summaries.  Evaluate information in terms of currency, geographic coverage and application to your individual situation.

Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://stats.bls.gov/oco/                                                                      
Published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives.  The Handbook is revised every 2 years and describes working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.


The Salary Calculator
http://www2.homefair.com/calc/salcalc.html                                              
Enter your current salary, choose specific cities and housing preferences to calculate estimated needed salary.

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