Rice University's Baker Institute compared employee compensation across Texas' largest cities
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy took a deep dive into the compensation city employees earn in Texas' largest cities.
The survey looked at personnel costs for all employees, including the police department, along with fire departments in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston.
The survey is based on the most recent budget data from each city, according to the Baker Institute.
"That's salary plus benefits, so pensions, insurance and those sorts of things. So, what it costs to actually have an employee out there. We took the total personnel costs of each department and divided it by the number of employees and came up with the number," Baker Institute Fellow Bill King said.
With adjustments for purchasing power, the survey shows Austin tops the list of city personnel expenses at $142,630, with Dallas at the bottom at $111,785.
Regarding total personnel cost per employee for the police department, Houston spends the most, with budgeted personnel costs per employee coming in at $198,277. San Antonio has the lowest budgeted police personnel costs at $140,054, according to the survey.
"If you look at, let's just say, the Houston Police Department for a second. The average was just under $200,000. Well, we know that a starting police officer makes around $80,000. So, you add in insurance and pension, and you get to maybe it gets to $110,000 or something. Well, that's still well below $200, so that means there's a bunch of people making over $200,000 because most people are rank and file," King said.
King stated that the city should look at ways to be more efficient. The Baker Institute survey said it is in agreement with the 2024 Houston efficiency study commissioned by the City of Houston that stated, "excessive middle management can hinder their ability to achieve departmental goals and serve taxpayers."
"The research shows that we've got pretty high personnel costs, and it would suggest to me that we need to be looking at ways that we can be more efficient," King said.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire's Office sent a statement to ABC13 regarding the survey's findings.
"The City of Houston continues to implement the recommendations of the Ernst & Young (EY) study by eliminating waste, fraud, corruption, and duplication to strengthen the City's financial foundation.
Public safety remains Mayor John Whitmire's top priority because Houstonians expect police officers and firefighters who are well-trained, properly staffed, and ready to respond.
Since Mayor Whitmire took office, the Houston Police Department (HPD) has hired more than 1,000 new officers, helping rebuild the department and improve public safety across the city. HPD currently has a record 5,400 police officers. This personnel level is improving HPD's response times and boosting the department's morale. In addition, HPD is not losing officers, and its retention level is at a historic high.
The Houston Fire Department is also stronger than it has been in decades, with improved staffing and higher morale. The study acknowledges that Houston invests heavily in public safety. It found that Houston pays the highest premium for police and fire services and that average personnel costs decline the most among other cities when those departments are excluded.
The findings reflect this administration's commitment to ensuring public safety remains the City's highest priority while continuing to improve efficiency and strengthen Houston's long-term financial position."
Houston's City Controller, Chris Hollins, released a statement that questions how the city will afford the personnel costs.
"While these cost comparisons are interesting, the larger question remains unanswered: How will the city afford to make these payments? As we have pointed out, the administration's budget is deeply flawed and lacks transparency. It is now the city's budget, so our job is to monitor its implementation and raise important questions as they arise."
