Pay Equity Dashboard

• We have created this dashboard based on from data produced from the City’s PeopleSoft HR system—the same data used internally.
• This dashboard is based on budgeted base wage data. It does not account for overtime, shift differentials, educational stipends, or other types of additional payments. 
• To compare school department and City data, select report 2 using the arrows at the bottom of the dashboard. 

• This dashboard allows users to compare pay between the following department groupings in Cambridge:

  • The Administration/Finance group comprises “general government” departments that maintain day-to-day government operations. Departments in this group include the City Manager’s Office, budget, personnel, finance, assessing, law, purchasing, auditing, the City Clerk, Information Technology Department, and several others.
  • The Boards/Commissions group includes City boards, commissions, and councils such as the human rights commission, license commission, election commission, arts council, peace commission, and historical commission.
  • The Community Development group represents the Community Development Department, which works to enhance Cambridge neighborhoods’ character, diversity, and sustainable economic growth.
  • The Human Services group represents the Department of Human Services Programs, which provides a range of educational and social services to residents.
  • The Library/Communications group includes both the Library Department and Cambridge Cable TV.
  • The Fire group represents the Fire Department.
  • The Police group represents the Police Department.
  • The Other Public Safety/Enforcement group includes Emergency Communications (911), Traffic and Parking, Inspectional Services Department, Animal Control, and Weights and Measures.
  • The Public Works/Infrastructure group includes the Department of Public Works, Water Department, and Electrical Department.

When assessing pay equity, it is important to analyze benefits-eligible and non-eligible employees separately. Cambridge’s municipal workforce is actually a combination of two different workforce groups: 

• Benefits-Eligible Staff: regular employees who work at least 20 hours per week. This group includes most administrators, police officers, inspectors, etc. These employees are paid year-round. 
• Non-Benefits-Eligible Staff: temporary or part time employees who work less than 20 hours per week, as well as seasonal employees. This group includes lifeguards, youth workers, and election poll workers. Due to their seasonality and/or work schedule, non-benefits-eligible staff tend to have much lower annual salaries than benefits-eligible staff. 

To perform a controlled analysis, we suggest looking at pay equity across each of these two workforce groups rather than across the workforce as a whole. Test it out for yourself by clicking on the “Eligible” or “Not Eligible” checkboxes in the filters for the dashboard. Examining both groups as a single entity could lead to the appearance of pay disparities across demographics, when disparities are in fact driven by benefit-eligibility

Cambridge is ethnically diverse and rich in culture. 66.6% of all residents are White; 11.7% are Black; 15.1% are Asian; and 6.6% are other races. 7.4% of all residents are of Hispanic background (Source: 2010 US Bureau of Census).2 With an approximate population of 105,162, Cambridge is the seventh most densely populated City in the U.S. of Cities with a population over 75,000, comprising 6.26 square miles.

According to the 2011 - 2015 American Community Survey, median family income totaled $104,454, in inflation adjusted dollars, up from $84,557 in 1999 and $73,831 in 1989. This represents an increase of 23.5% from 1999 and 41.5% from 1989 in inflation adjusted dollars.

The 2011 - 2015 American Community Survey indicates that the state median family income was $87,085 and the national median income was $66,011.

Cambridge median household incomes rose from $68,273 in 1999 to $79,416 in 2011 - 2015 in inflation adjusted dollars, a 16.3% increase. In 1989 median household income stood at $61,184 in inflation adjusted dollars, indicating an increase of 29.8%.

The 2011 - 2015 American Community Survey indicates that the state median household was $68,563 and the national median household income was $53,889.

All figures adjusted to the 2015 level using the change in the Research Series Consumer Price Index for all urban wage earners (CPI-U-RS).

The U. S. Department of Housing & Urban Development estimates that the 2016 Metropolitan Boston area median income for a family of four is $98,100 per year.

You can explore additional demographic data about Cambridge, view the Demographics and Statistics FAQs compiled by the Community Development Department.