Raleigh staff say pay ranges lag market; classification overhaul and benefit proposals planned for FY26

Charnell Jones, director of Human Resources for the City of Raleigh, and consultants from Segal told the City Council at a work session that the city’s pay ranges are, on average, below market and that staff will return with implementation options during the FY26 budget process.

The council heard that a comprehensive classification and compensation study, launched in 2024 and conducted with Segal, found Raleigh’s published pay range midpoints averaged about 91% of the blended market midpoint. Segal recommended expanding the city’s classification list from roughly 350 to about 485 job classifications and establishing 37 job families to better reflect employee duties and career progression. Patrick Bracknell, senior vice president with Segal, said the consultant selected 101 benchmark jobs and surveyed up to 12 peer employers to create the market comparison.

Jones said the city will phase implementation and present cost scenarios to council during the April–May budget process.…