City of Worcester’s payroll has risen $100M+ in last seven years

Photo | Timothy Doyle Worcester City Hall

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By Isabel Tehan

The average compensation for an employee on the City of Worcester’s payroll was $61,129 in 2022, which marked the first time the figure surpassed $60,000. The average pay is up 13% since 2015.

Up from $57,521 in 2021, this marked a larger-than-usual increase, according to data released Friday by the city government. In 2015, the earliest data analyzed by the WBJ, average pay was $54,197, according to payroll records from the City.

The total number of employees on the City's payroll has increased significantly last year. In 2022, the City employed 7,922, an increase of 6% from the 7,501 on its payroll in 2021. In 2015, there were 6,972 City employees accounted for in the payroll records.

The total amount paid to City employees has increased more than $100 million, with the addition of nearly 1,000 employees over the seven-year period, from $378 million in 2015 to $487 million in 2022.

While average pay for employees overall has increased, some roles in the City have seen wages remain mostly unchanged, particularly teachers.

Average pay for Worcester Public School teachers has remained about the same since 2015, when it was $70,918. In 2022, that number was $72,700.

Police officers without additional titles in 2022 made an average of $114,806, up from $108,710 in 2015. Members of the police force including police officers, lieutenants, sargeants, and captains, took 47 of the top 50 spots for highest-paid employees in 2022.

The city manager was the highest paid position in the city every year from 2015 until 2021, at which point a police lieutenant became the highest paid employee on Worcester’s payroll. Edward Augustus was the city manager until May 2022, and his annual salary topped out at $283,594 in 2021. Police lieutenant John Towns made $302,858 in 2021, the only time in the past seven years an employee surpassed the $300,000 mark.

In 2022, the highest-paid employee was also a member of the police force, Police Captain Matthew D’Andrea. His earnings totaled $286,932 for the year. Pay for members of the police force is made up of regular salary, overtime, and paid details. D’Andrea’s regular salary for 2022 was $143,531.

Eric Batista became city manager partway through 2022. Combined with his former role of assistant city manager, Batista’s reported pay for the year was $201,459, while Augustus’s was $205,927. The role officially changed hands in June.