Where non-covered public jobs are concentrated
Eight states hold three quarters of all state and local workers outside Social Security: California, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, Colorado, Louisiana and Georgia. California, Texas and Ohio alone hold almost half. In Ohio and Massachusetts nearly every public employee, from teachers to police officers to state office staff, relies on a state or local pension instead. At the other end, 27 states cover 90% or more of their public workforce.
| State | Public workers | Not covered |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 800,500 | 97.5% |
| Massachusetts | 515,400 | 97% |
| Nevada | 167,400 | 87.4% |
| Louisiana | 282,900 | 73% |
| Colorado | 488,300 | 70.3% |
| Alaska | 75,400 | 53.4% |
| California | 2,165,100 | 53.4% |
| Texas | 2,095,600 | 52.8% |
Every state
The figures count every state and local government employee: teachers, police officers, firefighters, state agency staff, city and county workers, and university employees. Within a state the share can differ a lot by job. In Georgia, for example, most school districts pay into Social Security but some chose not to.
| Alabama | 369,300 | 7.6% |
| Alaska | 75,400 | 53.4% |
| Arizona | 342,900 | 5.3% |
| Arkansas | 190,400 | 9.1% |
| California | 2,165,100 | 53.4% |
| Colorado | 488,300 | 70.3% |
| Connecticut | 263,200 | 26.7% |
| Delaware | 64,200 | 3.2% |
| District of Columbia | 81,900 | 18.9% |
| Florida | 1,121,800 | 11.4% |
| Georgia | 663,100 | 28.3% |
| Hawaii | 106,500 | 22.5% |
| Idaho | 153,200 | 4.3% |
| Illinois | 924,700 | 44.9% |
| Indiana | 484,900 | 10.8% |
| Iowa | 298,900 | 9.3% |
| Kansas | 293,700 | 7.3% |
| Kentucky | 351,200 | 25.5% |
| Louisiana | 282,900 | 73% |
| Maine | 97,800 | 44.8% |
| Maryland | 526,900 | 5.9% |
| Massachusetts | 515,400 | 97% |
| Michigan | 643,000 | 11.3% |
| Minnesota | 468,600 | 6.8% |
| Mississippi | 245,700 | 6.8% |
| Missouri | 445,300 | 23.6% |
| Montana | 96,600 | 9% |
| Nebraska | 151,700 | 4% |
| Nevada | 167,400 | 87.4% |
| New Hampshire | 98,600 | 11.7% |
| New Jersey | 643,400 | 9.1% |
| New Mexico | 202,100 | 10% |
| New York | 1,727,400 | 4.2% |
| North Carolina | 658,400 | 7.2% |
| North Dakota | 82,300 | 10.2% |
| Ohio | 800,500 | 97.5% |
| Oklahoma | 249,900 | 4.7% |
| Oregon | 278,900 | 2.9% |
| Pennsylvania | 703,500 | 7% |
| Rhode Island | 49,300 | 11.7% |
| South Carolina | 304,900 | 7.1% |
| South Dakota | 84,800 | 6.9% |
| Tennessee | 477,600 | 8.8% |
| Texas | 2,095,600 | 52.8% |
| Utah | 285,300 | 9.9% |
| Vermont | 42,400 | About 2.5% (2021) |
| Virginia | 704,100 | 6.6% |
| Washington | 552,600 | 7.7% |
| West Virginia | 112,700 | 7.3% |
| Wisconsin | 426,300 | 12.3% |
| Wyoming | 77,800 | 6.5% |
How coverage works for public jobs
When Social Security began in 1935 it left out every state and local government. From the 1950s, states could bring groups of their workers in through a Section 218 agreement with the Social Security Administration, often after a vote of the workers in that pension plan. Many states covered most groups. Others kept their own pension plans as the only retirement benefit, and those choices still decide coverage today.
Since July 1991, a public worker who is not in a qualifying retirement plan must be covered by Social Security, so part-time and temporary staff without a pension usually pay in. And since 1986, new hires in every public job pay the Medicare tax, so almost all public workers retire with Medicare even when they have no Social Security from the job.
What it means for your retirement
A non-covered job comes with a bigger pension, and usually a bigger pension contribution, because the plan replaces Social Security. Since the Social Security Fairness Act took effect for benefits from January 2024, that pension no longer reduces Social Security you earn from other work or receive as a spouse or widow. If you have covered work from before or after your public career, check how many credits you have with the 40-credit checker, and see what a spouse’s record could pay with the spousal and survivor calculator.
Questions
How do I know if my public job pays into Social Security?
Look at your pay stub or W-2. A 6.2% deduction labeled Social Security, OASDI or FICA-SS, and an amount in box 4 of your W-2, mean the job is covered. If you only see Medicare (1.45%), the job is not covered.
Why do some public employees not pay Social Security?
Social Security first left out all state and local governments. Since the 1950s each state has chosen, through an agreement with the Social Security Administration under Section 218 of the Social Security Act, which groups of its workers to cover. Workers already in a public pension plan that meets federal standards can stay out.
Can a state stop paying into Social Security?
No. Since 1983, once a group of public workers is covered, the state cannot end that coverage.
Do non-covered public workers pay Medicare?
Yes, if they were hired after March 31, 1986. They pay the 1.45% Medicare tax and earn Medicare coverage through the job.