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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:
2007
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
2007 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 2007. The second
table shows the 2007 General Schedule pay rates for the Washington, DC
area.
2007 Federal Employee Pay
Tables*
INCORPORATING A 1.70% GENERAL SCHEDULE INCREASE
Effective January 2007
Annual Rates by Grade and Step
|
7
|
31740
|
32798
|
33856
|
34914
|
35972
|
37030
|
38088
|
39146
|
40204
|
41262
|
|
8
|
35151
|
36323
|
37495
|
38667
|
39839
|
41011
|
42183
|
43355
|
44527
|
45699
|
|
9
|
38824
|
40118
|
41412
|
42706
|
44000
|
45294
|
46588
|
47882
|
49176
|
50470
|
|
10
|
42755
|
44180
|
45605
|
47030
|
48455
|
49880
|
51305
|
52730
|
54155
|
55580
|
|
11
|
46974
|
48540
|
50106
|
51672
|
53238
|
54804
|
56370
|
57936
|
59502
|
61068
|
|
12
|
56301
|
58178
|
60055
|
61932
|
63809
|
65686
|
67563
|
69440
|
71317
|
73194
|
|
13
|
66951
|
69183
|
71415
|
73647
|
75879
|
78111
|
80343
|
82575
|
84807
|
87039
|
|
14
|
79115
|
81752
|
84389
|
87026
|
89663
|
92300
|
94937
|
97574
|
100211
|
102848
|
|
15
|
93063
|
96165
|
99267
|
102369
|
105471
|
108573
|
111675
|
114777
|
117879
|
120981
|
* Source: U.S.
Office of Personal Management; see http://www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/html/gs.asp
Pay Rate if
enter without MPA/MPP
(GS-7)
Pay Rate if enter after completing MPA/MPP (GS-9)
2007 Federal Employee Pay
Table-
Washington, DC/Baltimore*
INCORPORATING THE 1.70% GENERAL SCHEDULE INCREASE AND A LOCALITY PAYMENT OF 18.59%
INCORPORATING A LOCALITY PAY AREA OF WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE, DC-MD-VA-WV
(See http://www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/locdef.asp
for definitions of locality
pay areas.)
Effective January 2007
Annual Rates by Grade and Step
|
7
|
37640
|
38895
|
40150
|
41405
|
42659
|
43914
|
45169
|
46423
|
47678
|
48933
|
|
8
|
41686
|
43075
|
44465
|
45855
|
47245
|
48635
|
50025
|
51415
|
52805
|
54194
|
|
9
|
46041
|
47576
|
49110
|
50645
|
52180
|
53714
|
55249
|
56783
|
58318
|
59852
|
|
10
|
50703
|
52393
|
54083
|
55773
|
57463
|
59153
|
60843
|
62533
|
64222
|
65912
|
|
11
|
55706
|
57564
|
59421
|
61278
|
63135
|
64992
|
66849
|
68706
|
70563
|
72421
|
|
12
|
66767
|
68993
|
71219
|
73445
|
75671
|
77897
|
80123
|
82349
|
84575
|
86801
|
|
13
|
79397
|
82044
|
84691
|
87338
|
89985
|
92632
|
95279
|
97926
|
100573
|
103220
|
|
14
|
93822
|
96950
|
100077
|
103204
|
106331
|
109459
|
112586
|
115713
|
118840
|
121967
|
|
15
|
110363
|
114042
|
117721
|
121399
|
125078
|
128757
|
132435
|
136114
|
139793
|
143471
|
* Source: U.S.
Office of Personal Management; see
http://www.opm.gov/oca/07tables/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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