City of St. Louis Department of Personnel Releases Compensation and Classification Study, Proposes Pay Range Minimum Increases

Today, following the completion of a new compensation and classification study, the mayor is following the recommendations and is proposing increases to civil service position pay range minimums, making City of St. Louis salaries more competitive and helping the City attract and retain employees.

The study showed that the City of St. Louis is currently behind the market in pay range minimums, although the City is more competitive at the higher ends of its pay ranges, where the majority of City employees are.

To make the bottom of the City’s pay range more competitive, the proposal, which is based on recommendations from the compensation study, would result in raises for about 600 non-uniformed civil service employees, whose salaries are currently not within 5% of the pay range minimum in the market. This aligns with the most consistently expressed priority of City employees during the compensation and classification study: ensuring that compensation is competitive with the external market.

Additionally, about 600 uniformed Fire Department employees would see a positive adjustment to their pay matrix. The Police Department is currently under state control, and though the City has budgeted for a similar adjustment for police, a decision on such an adjustment would have to be made by the governor-appointed Board of Police Commissioners.

The City of St. Louis has struggled to attract and retain staff in several key roles, which the compensation and classification study confirms should be made more competitive. Examples include utility workers, with a vacancy rate of 42%; tree trimmers, 50%; and heavy equipment operators, 20%.

Mayor Cara Spencer announced her support for this recommended action and is also calling for the Department of Personnel to work with unions to find an agreement that would deliver across-the-board raises to civil service employees.

“City of St. Louis employees are driven by a desire to help their community, but that doesn’t mean the City shouldn’t pay them a salary that is good and attractive,” said Mayor Spencer. “When employees could find better pay for similar work with other governments in our region, the City of St. Louis loses out on good talent, and our services worsen as a consequence. Bringing our pay ranges in line with the market is what’s best for our employees, for the City and for all St. Louisans.”

The Department of Personnel is targeting Feb. 1, 2026, as the implementation date of a new compensation ordinance. The City is about to begin union negotiations, which will be followed by compensation ordinance recommendations being made to the Civil Service Commission and then the Board of Aldermen.

The City has set aside $10 million annually to implement improvements based on the compensation study.

“This proposal makes City of St. Louis salaries more competitive, which is crucial for delivering high-quality services. This is an ambitious yet fiscally responsible first step that we have the budget for, and the sooner we can put it into action, the better for our employees and for St. Louis,” said Mayor Spencer.

Improving pay range minimums and securing across-the-board raises is the first action the City plans to take in the coming years to become more competitive, with additional recommendations from the study including a realignment of the full pay range and adopting new and market-responsive compensation structures.

While the compensation study provided solid data that some City of St. Louis salaries have been below market rate, it is also clear that several City of St. Louis benefits significantly outperform the market. The City’s retirement benefits are particularly strong, with the City of St. Louis making retirement contributions at 17.15% of employees’ salaries (5.15 percentage points above market average), requiring no employee contributions, and fully vesting employees faster than the market average.

Media contact:

Kathryn Jamboretz
Communications
City of St. Louis Mayor’s Office
Jamboretzk@stlouis-mo.gov, 314-484-9333