City releases annual equal pay report; women with advanced degrees earn slightly more than male counterparts in city jobs

Human Resources Director Cassie Tozer presented the City of Bozeman’s annual equal pay report to the City Commission on April 15, highlighting the city’s pay practices, hiring processes and recent outcomes.

Tozer said the city’s data show that female employees with graduate degrees earn approximately 103% of what their male counterparts earn within city jobs. She also said median earnings for female city employees are roughly 50% higher than national estimates for comparable workers, and that, by education level, the city is on average about 17% closer than national trends to closing the gender wage gap.

Tozer walked commissioners through how the city sets pay: through external market analysis and internal comparable‑worth evaluation (education, experience, responsibility and working conditions). She described the city’s pay committee (herself, the assistant city manager and the city manager) and explained pay upon hire procedures across employee groups, including non‑represented employees and collective bargaining units such as MFPE and Teamsters. She said candidates are placed within pay bands by documented qualifications and years of relevant experience.

Tozer highlighted benefits and policies the city has adopted to promote equity, including a paid parental leave policy implemented in 2022; she said usage of that policy rose 128% in 2024 compared with 2023 and that it benefits both men and women. Tozer also reported that the city workforce is roughly 30% female, and that 33 of the city’s supervisors are female.

Commissioners asked about pay‑band breadth, recruitment for historically male‑dominated departments (IT) and female‑dominated departments (HR), and whether the city’s equity work will expand to intersectional analyses beyond gender. City staff said a Belonging Bozeman coordinator position and staff capacity will expand reporting and intersectional analysis in coming months.

Ending — Commissioners thanked Tozer and staff; no action or budget changes were taken during the presentation, and staff said they will follow up on requests for more granular intersectional data as capacity allows.