Annual Census 2023

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Purpose of the Report
​Executive Summary
​Sum​mary​ of Civil Service Composition
​Regional Profile
​Civil Service Representation of Persons with Disabilities
​Limited Examination & Appointment Program
​Civil Service Representation of Veterans
​​Civil Service Appointments & Separations
​​Data References

CalHR strives to make employment with the State of California reflect California’s diverse population.

This report provides civil service employee demographics, and in some instances, comparable California labor force and population demographics for context. The report includes civil service hire and separation data as well as salary comparisons. Further, it includes the number of participants in the Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP).

In addition to this printed report, CalHR has published its second annual Census Dashboard. The 2023 Census Dashboard provides the public the opportunity to review the data in this report in a more robust and interactive way.

As an example, the public can review demographic data by region or by department. The public can also use filters to better analyze the data and uncover insights.

These modern dashboards have become possible because of CalHR’s investment to continuously improve its data analytic and data transformation capabilities. Part of this investment was the resources CalHR received through a 2022-23 Budget Change Proposal in support of Key Data Initiatives. Since receiving those resources, CalHR has made advancements in improving data integrity and transparency. As these efforts continue, it is possible it will result in new findings, continuous improvement of data integrity, and the possibility of data insights not aligning with previous iterations.

In December 2023, the California labor force was comprised of approximately 19.2 million non-farm workers. Of the 19.2 million, approximately 18.2 million Californians were employed and approximately 972,000 were unemployed.³

As of December 2023, California’s 224,613 civil service employees accounted for approximately 1.2 percent of California’s employed.

Persons who identify as White, Hispanic or Latino, or Asian made up more for than 80 percent of California’s civil service. The following chart shows a race and ethnicity breakdown of California’s civil service:​

​The following chart compares California’s population with its labor force ​and civil service:​

The civil service had a smaller percentage of persons who identify as Hispanic or Latino than the state labor force and the state population. The civil service had a much higher percentage of persons who identify as Multiple Races than the state labor force and the state population. Government Code section 8310.9 (AB 532, Chapter 433, Statutes of 2015) ​requires State agencies, boards, and commissions that collect demographic data on ethnic origin, ethnicity, or race to allow respondents to select one or more ethnic or racial designations. In response, CalHR revised the State Employee Race/Ethnicity Questionnaire (Form 1070) to allow an employee to self-identify up to 17 race or ethnicity designations.

When comparing age groups, the civil service had a higher percentage of persons ages 30 to 59 while the state labor force had a higher percentage of persons Under 30 and Over 59. ​The most common age range in civil service was the 40 to 49 age range. More than 60 percent of California’s civil service employees were 40 and older. The following chart compares age groups of the civil service and the state labor force:

​A tabulation of civil service disability and veteran status by age shows the following results:​

• ​More persons with disabilities were in the 50 to 59 age range than any other age range.
• More veterans were in the 40 to 49 age range than any other age range.
• Both groups had the lowest representation in the Under 30 range.

The following chart compares age groups of persons with disabilities and veterans in the civil service with the overall civil service:​

​The overall civil service was younger than civil service veterans and persons with disabilities.

• More than 59 percent of persons with disabilities and 46 percent of veterans were age 50 and older while fewer than 34 percent of the overall civil service was age 50 and older​.
• Nearly 38 percent of the civil service were under the age of 40 while nearly 22 percent of veterans and ​15​ percent of persons with disabilities were under the age of 40.​

​The chart below compares gender by age range in the civil service.

​For a further breakdown of the age ranges of civil service employees, including by department and by geographic region, see the Department Profile section and the Region section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

For reporting purposes, CalHR uses federal job categories to compare data consistently with the state labor force.^4​​ ​A review of the civil service and state labor force by job category reveals many differences. The Business and Financial Operations, Protective Services, and Office and Administrative Support categories represent over 55 percent of the civil service workforce but just over 18 percent of the state labor force. The Personal Care and Service, Arts, Design, and Entertainment, and the Farming, Fishing, and Forestry categories represent less than 1 percent of the civil service workforce but over 7 percent of the state labor force. The following table compares the civil service and the state labor force by job category:​​

​Business and Financial Operations, Protective Service, and Office and Administrative Support job categories represent the highest percentages in civil service. In contrast, Management, Office and Administrative Support, and Sales and Related categories represent the highest percentages in the state labor force. The top three categories with the highest proportion of women were:

1. ​Business and Financial Operations
2. Office and Administrative Support
3. Healthcare Practitioners and Technical

The top three categories that had the highest proportion of men were:

1. ​Protective Service
2. Business and Financial Operations
3. Architecture and Engineering

For a detailed breakdown of gender composition by job category and a detailed breakdown of race and ethnicity by job category, see the Job Category Composition section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

A review of civil service salary ranges shows that more than 57 percent of civil service employees earned $80,000 per year or more. The salary range with the highest proportion of civil service employees was the $80,000-$89,999 salary range. More than 50 percent of men made $90,000 or more per year while more than 50 percent of women made $80,000 or more per year. The salary range with the highest proportion of men was $100,000-$109,999 while the salary range with the highest proportion of women was $80,000-$89,999. The following chart compares the salary ranges of civil service employees by gender:​​

The salary range with the highest proportion of persons with disabilities was $80,000-$89,999 while the salary range with the highest proportion of veterans was $100,000-$109,999. The following chart compares the salary ranges of persons with disabilities and veterans in the civil service with the overall civil service:

A higher percentage of veterans in civil service were represented in each salary range at $90,000 and above than the overall civil service. For a further breakdown of civil service salary ranges, including by ethnic group, see the Salary Range Composition section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

Civil service data in this report was organized into five geographic regions in California:

1. The Sacramento Region⁵
2. The Los Angeles Region⁶
3. The San Franc​isco Region ⁷
4. San Diego County
5. All Other Counties in California⁸

​The chart below​ shows the percentage of California’s 224,613 civil service employees by region:

Nearly 60 percent of California’s civil service employees worked in the Sacramento Region or the Los Angeles region. For a detailed breakout of demographics by region, including by ethnicity and by age range, see the Region section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

Disability status is self-reported and collected through the Statewide Employee Survey. The State of California defines disability in accordance with Government Code section 12926. The data is provided in reports to Equal Employment Opportunity offices for identification of discrimination or possible barriers to employment. Persons with disabilities are better represented in the civil service workforce than in the California labor force. As of December 31, 2023, the State of California employed 15,558 persons with disabilities in the civil service. In 2023, persons with disabilities represented 6.9 percent of the civil service compared to only 4.9 percent of the labor force.

As part of the workforce analysis process,​ agencies are required to set goals for improving their representation of persons with disabilities. For information about state civil service disability representation and hiring goals by department, see the Persons with Disabilities Dashboard.​

The Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) is an examination program that offers an alternate means of assessing the qualifications and skills of job applicants with disabilities. Once a LEAP candidate is selected for a position, they complete an on-the-job testing phase, called the Job Examination Period (JEP). According to California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 547.58.7, upon successful completion of the JEP, the candidate shall qualify for appointment to the civil service classification. Candidates transitioned to a permanent civil service appointment after the JEP are not required to serve a probationary period. LEAP Statistics for 2023:

• 175 are participating in LEAP Testing Phase.
• 143 people transitioned from LEAP Testing Phase into LEAP Position.
• 40 people separated from LEAP Testing Phase.

For a detailed breakdown of LEAP employment statistics by department, see the LEAP section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

Veterans data is self-reported and collected through the Veteran Status Survey and through veterans filing for preference while applying for initial hire into state civil service positions. As of December 31, 2023, the State of California employed 10,183 veterans in the civil service.​ In 2023, veterans represented 4.5​ percent of the civil service, 2.8 percent of state labor force, and 4.7 percent of California’s population:

Veterans represented 2.4 percent of intakes (new to state and new employees to a department) and represented 9.4 percent of retirements from civil service in 2023​​. The proportionately high retirement rate among veterans in state civil service is consistent with federal estimates showing that over two-thirds of California veterans are age 55 and older.⁹ For more detail about veterans, see the Veterans section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

There were 70,851 civil service appointments in 2023. These appointments can be broken down into three categories:

• New-to-State Hires: 21,271 persons
• Transfers from Other Department: 9,398 persons
• Departmental Internal Hires: 40,182 persons

The following chart summarizes these three categories by age range in 2023:

There were 23,217 advancements and 964 demotions in civil service during 2023. The following chart summarizes advancements and demotions by age range in 2023​:

• Advancements: A civil service appointment is counted as an advancement any time there is a classification change and an increase in pay of at least one dollar.
• Demotions: A change in civil service appointment to a lower paid classification. This could be initiated by an employee’s preference to voluntarily demote or by the employer.​

For more detail about civil service appointments, advancements, and demotions, see the Appointments section and the Advancements/Demotions section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.

California state departments are required to submit information to CalHR on their upward mobility programs and provide annual goals for hiring employees from low-paying occupations into entry-level technical, professional, and administrative positions. For more details about the Upward Mobility Program, see the Upward Mobility Program Dashboard.

There were 17,310 permanent separations from civil service during 2023, which was approximately 7.7% of the 224,613 employees as of December 31, 2023. Here are the three types of permanent separations and the count of ​separations by type in 2023:

• Voluntary separations: 7,878​ persons
• Retirements: 7,642 persons^10​​
• Involuntary separations: 1,790 ​persons^11​​

During 2023, 64 percent of voluntary separations came from those age 39 or younger:

​​Here are some facts about separations due to retirements in 2023:

• The 7,642 retirements represented 44.1 percent of permanent separations​.
• Of race and ethnicity, the highest retirements were White (48 percent).
• Women represented 45 percent of retirements while men represented 55 percent.

​For a detailed breakdown of permanent separations from civil service, including retirements, see the Separations section in the 2023 Census Dashboard.​​

The State Controller’s Office provided CalHR with transactional payroll reports that included the following data about state employees:

• Salary
• Employee
• Demographic
• Appointment
• Separation
• Workforce

The 2023 Annual Census of Employees in State Civil Service Report uses demographic and workforce data as of December 2023​. The total count of separations and appointments for the calendar year of 2023 was reported.

California State Labor Force Data

Civilian non-institutional California labor force (CA Labor Force) and California state population (CA Population) data were included for comparison and were from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2022 5-Year Estimates tables. The age, ethnicity, and salary range CA Labor Force and CA Population data were provided by the California State Census Data Center at the Department of Finance. The following 5-year tables were used from the ACS:

• B21005 – Age by Veteran Status by Employment Status for the Civilian Population 18 to 64 Years – 2022 ACS 5-year estimate filtered for California.
• C18120 – Employment Status by Disability Status – 2022 ACS 5-year estimate filtered for California.
• S1810 – Disability Characteristics – 2022 ACS 5-year estimate filtered for California.
• S2101 – Veterans Status – 2022 ACS 5-year estimate filtered for California.
• S2401 – Occupation by Sex for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and Over – 2022 ACS 5-year estimate filtered for California.

California labor force information on Page 3 was provided by the California Employment Development Department in Report 400C: Monthly Labor Force Data for Counties December 2023.Percentages in this report are rounded to the nearest 0.1 percent. Percentages in this report may not total 100 percent due to rounding.​

Endnotes