IPSPR: Electronic Publications

1. State AND LOCAL Government Full-Time Equivalent employees per 10,000 POPULATION

Definition: This indicator represents the number of full-time employees (FTEs) working for state and local government as a ratio to total state population.

Significance: The responsibilities of government vary from state to state. What may be a local government function in one state may be a state government function in another. For example, primary and secondary educators are considered state employees in Texas for the purposes of the U.S. Census. In South Carolina, primary and secondary teachers are considered local employees in the U.S. Census. Thus, in order to compare government employment across state lines, state and local government employment data must be combined. The indicator allows for a measure of the size, in terms of FTEs, of state and local government. It provides a standard approach to comparing the number of government employees across states.

Historical/Trend Analysis, State and Local Government Full-Time Equivalent Employees per 10,000 Population

Data reflects values for South Carolina (SC), the United States (US), and the Southeast (SE). The Southeast region consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Selected State Rankings, 2006, State Government Full-Time Equivalent Employees per 10,000 of Population (“1” represents state with highest number of state government full-time equivalent employees per 10,000 population)

NOTE: For 2006, full-time state government employment numbers for all states are available from U.S. Census Bureau reports. Therefore, all states are included in the 2006 ranking.

Selected State Rankings, 2006, Local Government Full-Time Equivalent Employees per 10,000 of Population (“1” represents state with highest number of local government full-time equivalent employees per 10,000 population)

NOTE: For 2006, full-time local government employment numbers for two states, Mississippi and Louisiana, are unavailable from U.S. Census Bureau reports. Therefore, those two states are not included in the 2006 ranking.

Selected State Rankings, 2006, Combined State and Local Government Full-Time Equivalent Employees per 10,000 of Population (“1” represents state with highest number of combined state and local government full-time equivalent employees per 10,000 population)

NOTE: For 2006, combined state and local full-time employment numbers for two states, Mississippi and Louisiana, are unavailable from U.S. Census Bureau reports and are, therefore, not among the states included in the 2006 ranking

[i] Population data is based on the United States Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The Census Bureau cautions that the ranks in some tables are based on estimates derived from a sample(s). Because of sampling and nonsampling errors associated with the estimates, the ranking of the estimates does not necessarily reflect the correct ranking of the unknown true values. Thus, caution should be used when making inferences or statements about the states' true values based on a ranking of the estimates. As an example, the estimated total (average, percent, ratio, etc.) for State A may be larger than the estimates for all other states. This does not necessarily mean that the true total (average, percent, ratio, etc.) for State A is larger than those for all other states. Such an inference typically depends on --among other factors-- the size of the difference(s) between the estimates in question, and the size of their associated standard errors.

In other tables, the ranks are based on a complete enumeration of the target population, or on complete administrative reporting from the population. In such cases, sampling is not used, and there is no sampling error component in the estimates. Still, care should still be taken when making inferences or statements based on the rankings. The table values may still exhibit nonsampling error originating from such sources as coverage problems (missing units or duplicates), nonresponse, misreporting, and others.