Wage Series Part 7: Does Size Matter?

By Jim Cline and Kate Kremer

In the last three parts of the Wage Series, we have discussed State wage rankings for the various public safety classifications.  In the next three parts, we turn to a discussion of what factors might influence, or explain, at least in part, those wage rankings.

In this article, we discuss whether size — as measured by population — matters as to wage rankings and to what extent.  In the next two articles, we will discuss the influence of the two other variables most commonly used to predict comparability — assessed valuation and geographic location.

Along with the wage ranking data that we discussed previously in this series, we have also added to our premium website detailed charts which show the relative wage rank for all the surveyed public safety classifications, with each of the various cities and counties against their wage rank in population and assessed valuation.  In this article, we post a scaled-down version of those charts for two of the classifications — City Police and County Deputy Sheriffs.  In these charts we show the relative current wage rank for these bargaining units (the actual wages are posted on the premium website).

A review of this data indicates that size does, in fact, matter.  The largest city, Seattle, predictably ranks number one and the smallest city of the 131 municipalities with police departments — Westport — ranks 120th.  A review of the city wage charts — measuring the wage at the 25 year BA level — shows a strong correlation between population and wage ranking.

What is actually perhaps more noteworthy about the chart, in some respect, is the extent to which population does not always predict wage ranking.  The chart reveals a number of police departments that are paid either high, or low relative to their population. 

Obviously, there are a number of other factors besides just population that explain one’s wage.  Two of the factors that we’ll discuss later in the series, as indicated, are assessed valuation and location.  You should also bear in mind that these charts only provide one snapshot view of the labor contract – the 25 year wage inclusive of longevity and education premiums.  It does not account for other wage related premiums that might be contained in the contract.  This number also does not take into account that there may be other important elements of the contract that bargaining units gave up wages to retain — for example, a good health insurance plan or reduced health insurance premium contributions.  There may also be current economic and fiscal conditions in each of the cities that explain their wage status.  So this chart, while interesting, certainly does not tell the whole story.

Nonetheless, the data does indicate some noteworthy results.  If size explained all of the wage rankings, then you would not expect to see Spokane — the 2nd largest city in the state — ranked 32nd or see Vancouver — the 4th largest city — rank 33rd.  A review of the data would suggest — and our article later in the series on regional location will explain — that geographic location has a powerful relationship to wage position.  Jurisdictions more proximate to Seattle and the Central Puget Sound labor market are, typically, paid a significantly higher rate due to that location within the labor market.

So usually, Eastern Washington jurisdictions are paid measurably less than Western Washington jurisdictions.  Wages in King County are typically higher than wages in the rest of the State, as are wages in Pierce and Snohomish County.  Nonetheless, this population based wage chart reveals that this is not uniformly the case.  For example, Kent as the 6th largest city is ranked 25th, Federal Way as the 10th largest city is ranked 36, Lakewood as the 17th largest city is ranked 55th, and Issaquah as the 31st largest city is rank 62nd.  On the other hand, Lynnwood and Bothell as the 26th and 27th largest cities are ranked 5th and 6th, respectively.  However, small, but affluent Mercer Island is the 36th largest city but ranks 3rd.

25 year BA Patrol Officer Wage
Washington Cities 2013
Population Rank	2012 Population	Cities	WageRank	Wage Date
1	616,500	Seattle	1	2010
2	210,000	Spokane	32	2011
3	199,600	Tacoma	13	2013
4	163,200	Vancouver	33	2011
5	124,600	Bellevue	7	2013
6	119,100	Kent	25	2012
7	103,300	Everett	10	2013
8	93,910	Renton	4	2012
9	91,930	Yakima	12	2013
10	89,460	Federal Way	36	2012
11	81,480	Kirkland	9	2013
12	81,360	Bellingham	14	2013
13	75,160	Kennewick	15	2013
14	71,240	Auburn	17	2012
15	62,670	Pasco	52	2010
16	61,360	Marysville	2	2013
17	58,260	Lakewood	55	2012
18	55,360	Redmond	20	2012
19	49,890	Richland	22	2011
20	47,500	Olympia	11	2012
21	43,600	Lacey	19	2012
22	39,800	Edmonds	16	2013
23	39,650	Bremerton	18	2011
24	37,620	Puyallup	8	2012
25	36,910	Longview	38	2013
26	35,900	Lynnwood	5	2012
27	34,000	Bothell	6	2013
28	32,400	Wenatchee	39	2013
29	32,250	Mount Vernon	24	2013
30	31,740	Walla Walla	41	2012
31	31,150	Issaquah	62	2011
32	31,000	Pullman	51	2011
33	29,700	Des Moines	45	2013
34	28,510	Lake Stevens	48	2013
35	23,090	Bainbridge Island	23	2012
36	22,690	Mercer Island	3	2013
37	22,200	Oak Harbor	42	2012
38	20,950	Moses Lake	79	2013
39	20,360	Mukilteo	54	2012
40	20,090	Mountlake Terrace	27	2012
41	20,020	Camas	64	2012
42	19,100	Port Angeles	56	2011
43	19,080	Tukwila	34	2013
44	18,450	Mill Creek	30	2013
45	18,320	Ellensburg	73	2012
46	17,970	Arlington	35	2012
47	17,920	Battle Ground	63	2013
48	17,900	Tumwater	37	2013
49	17,730	Bonney Lake	40	2013
50	17,390	Monroe	44	2013
51	16,890	Aberdeen	47	2013
52	16,670	Centralia	57	2012
53	16,130	Sunnyside	72	2012
54	15,960	Anacortes	61	2012
55	14,340	Washougal	71	2013
56	13,280	East Wenatchee	68	2013
57	12,640	Lake Forest Park	29	2012
58	12,570	West Richland	91	2012
59	12,340	Lynden	60	2011
60	11,930	Kelso	43	2012
61	11,830	Ferndale	66	2013
62	11,780	Port Orchard	46	2012
63	11,320	Snoqualmie	26	2013
64	11,030	Enumclaw	53	2013
65	11,000	Grandview	101	2012
66	10,820	Cheney	95	2013
67	10,610	Sedro-Woolley	78	2013
68	9,870	Shelton	87	2012
69	9,470	Sumner	28	2012
70	9,360	Poulsbo	58	2013
71	9,235	Fife	21	2012
72	9,185	Port Townsend	103	2014
73	8,950	Toppenish	102	2012
74	8,845	College Place	117	2013
75	8,655	Hoquiam	76	2012
76	8,640	Du Pont	82	2013
77	8,435	Burlington	59	2013
78	7,900	Liberty Lake	93	2013
79	7,780	Airway Heights	123	2012
80	7,750	Ephrata	84	2013
81	7,495	Othello	118	2013
82	7,345	Chehalis	77	2013
83	7,340	Gig Harbor	67	2012
84	7,290	Selah	104	2012
85	7,205	Clarkston	109	2013
86	7,100	Yelm	75	2013
87	6,985	Milton	80	2012
88	6,945	Quincy	111	2013
89	6,900	Duvall	85	2013
90	6,795	Sequim	86	2013
91	6,790	Orting	88	2013
92	6,620	Pacific	49	2013
93	6,525	Fircrest	65	2012
94	6,350	Normandy Park	70	2012
95	6,155	Brier	97	2009
96	6,105	Union Gap	96	2011
97	6,015	Steilacoom	50	2011
98	5,785	Prosser	106	2012
99	5,745	Ocean Shores	90	2012
100	5,590	Woodland	81	2012
101	5,320	Connell	127	2013
102	5,210	Ridgefield	94	2011
103	5,030	Wapato	126	2013
104	4,835	Omak	105	2013
105	4,760	Blaine	74	2013
106	4,695	Colville	125	2013
107	4,495	Mattawa	131	2012
108	4,365	Buckley	89	2013
109	4,170	Black Diamond	98	2013
110	4,050	Montesano	92	2013
111	3,545	Forks	124	2010
112	3,505	Moxee	128	2012
113	3,425	Goldendale	100	2012
114	3,380	Granite Falls	99	2012
115	3,285	Granger	130	2013
116	3,110	Elma	114	2010
117	3,070	Algona	83	2013
118	3,035	Zillah	129	2013
119	2,990	Medina	31	2013
120	2,980	Clyde Hill	69	2012
121	2,890	Raymond	110	2013
122	2,790	Colfax	122	2013
123	2,785	Eatonville	107	2013
124	2,695	Warden	113	2012
125	2,620	Chewelah	115	2013
126	2,520	Everson	119	2010
127	2,390	Kalama	108	2013
128	2,355	Brewster	121	2012
129	2,255	White Salmon	116	2013
130	2,135	Castle Rock	112	2012
131	2,105	Westport	120	2012