I sat down with every intention of writing about potential hidden ways that the National Weather Service may be suffering from the government shutdown. These include possible lapses in repairs to radars or depleted supplies of gas for weather balloons. However, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross changed my plans. Numerous reports summarize his tone deaf statements about federal workers and their financial situation during the Government Shutdown. Where is the connection? The National Weather Service and its parent organization NOAA are in the Department of Commerce.
With such statements from Ross, I thought it would be instructive to take a look at what National Weather Service meteorologists are paid. After all, they are working without their pay to make sure our lives seem normal.
I think Secretary Ross' premise was that federal workers should be able to get loans since their pay has been guaranteed by Congress. While for many people, loans may be a viable option. It is privileged and naive to assume that everyone has the same financial footing, credit scores, or access to banking. For younger members of the federal workforce, these assumptions may be severely flawed. In an analysis by Credit Karma, the average credit score for two groups (18-24 and 25-34) hovered around 630. This was significantly lower than older categories.
So what do meteorologists in the National Weather Service make? According to federalpay.org,
Government Meteorology jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale (see below). The minimum pay grade for a Meteorology job is GS-6, and the highest pay grade that can be attained within this job series is GS-15.
Many professionals start at the Meteorological Technician level, which may be a GS-5 pay level. At this point, it is important to keep in mind that NWS scientists work throughout the United States, and some happen to be in regions with very high cost of living. While there is typically some type of locality pay adjustment, this year the President decided to freeze pay raises or such adjustments.
The average cost of a home in some parts of the Washington D.C. suburbs, a hub for many federal workers, can exceed $700,000, according to CNBC. There are places in California, Massachusetts, Oregon and New York that far exceed that number. As another example, the average rent in San Francisco is $3693. There are National Weather Service offices in all of these places with early career employees at the lower end of the federal General Schedule scale.
While in my early twenties and working for a federal agency, I am not sure I was as well-versed and mature about finances as I am two decades later. The concept of credit scores, low-interest loans and the other things that Secretary Ross flippantly mentioned are spoken from the perspective of an experienced adult who happens to be a billionaire.
As with any career, National Weather Service employees have the potential to progress in their careers. A NWS website, which I think may be a bit outdated based on the numbers, goes on to say that
After yearly management reviews and training the potential income for forecasters ranges from $60,000- $100,000 per year. In a highly competitive field, you may need to apply for openings in other NWS locations to become a forecaster. Management level positions being at $80,000 per year and can exceed over $120,000 per year. Electronic Technicians and Information Technology Specialists are positions that also require specialized training with approximate salaries of $50,000- $70,000 for Electronic Technicians and $75,000-$100,000 for Information Technology Specialists.
These are certainly respectable salaries and above national averages. However, I am a pragmatic and realistic person. For all of the talking heads and "perfect people" criticizing others for struggling after the loss of a couple of paychecks, here is a dose of reality. It is far more common than you think and now is not the time to belittle people if that is the case. The Washington Post recently reported,
National data on the paycheck-to-paycheck experience is flimsy, but a recent report from the Federal Reserve spotlights the prevalence of extra-tight budgets: Four in 10 adults say they couldn’t produce $400 in an emergency without sliding into debt or selling something, according to the 2017 figures.
The article made the point that these are millennials, Generation X, and baby boomers.
At the end of the day, checks may be guaranteed on the Shutdown ends. Medical bills, mortgages, and tuition are due today. NWS and other federal employees are not asking for anything special or excessive. They just want their paychecks and jobs.
That would be great.
