Skip to content

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023

Was 1985 the last time Nevada state employees received a pay raise in excess of 5%?

Todd Butterworth, The Nevada Independent
yes

In 1985, Nevada state employees received an 11% increase in their overall pay scales. This is the last time such an increase exceeded 5%.

Between 1983 and 2022, state employees experienced 24 years with a pay raise, 13 years without one and three years with a pay cut. Overall, their salaries went up a cumulative 95% during those 40 years. Inflation over this same period was 193.8%.

Nevada state employee pay has fallen behind government positions in nearby states and other Nevada government entities. A 2020 regional salary survey shows the State of Nevada had lower starting and maximum salaries in 26 of the 32 government positions surveyed. 

In his 2023 State of the State address, Gov. Joe Lombardo proposed state employee pay increases of 8% in fiscal year 2024 and 4% in fiscal year 2025.

See a full discussion of this at The Nevada Independent

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

The Nevada Independent is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news and opinion website founded in 2017 by veteran political journalist and commentator Jon Ralston. The site and its supporting channels are focused on ethical, unbiased and transparent journalism. In general, we aim to gather and disseminate important public information and increase civic engagement. We are supported by corporate donations, memberships, event ticket sales and sponsorships and foundation grants. We disclose all our members and donors. Donors have no influence over our content, ever. The Nevada Independent is the dba for Nevada News Bureau, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2010 by Elizabeth Thompson, who now serves as one of The Nevada Independent's managing directors and its Editor.

Learn More

Latest Fact Briefs

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.