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Federal and State Officials


Overview

Federal and State Officials

Introduction

Federal and state officials hold positions in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government at the state and national levels. They include governors, judges, senators, representatives, and the president and vice president of the country. Government officials are responsible for preserving the government against external and domestic threats, supervising and resolving conflicts between private and public interest, regulating the economy, protecting political and social rights of the citizens, and providing services ...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$50,000

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma


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Experience

Prior experience in local government, the military, journalism, a
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Skills

Business Management
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Personality Traits

Conventional
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Earnings

In general, salaries for government officials tend to be lower than what the official could make working in the private sector. In the case of state legislators, the pay can be much lower.

Legislators earned median annual salaries of $24,670 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Salaries generally ranged from less than $17,510 to more than $98,890, although some officia...

Work Environment

Most government officials work in a typical office setting. Some may work a regular 40-hour week, while others will typically work long hours and weekends. One potential drawback to political life, particularly for the candidate running for office, is that there is no real off-duty time. One is continually under observation by the press and public, and the personal lives of candidates and offic...

Outlook

For the most part, the structures of state and federal legislatures will remain unchanged (and the number of officials will stay relatively static), although the topic of limiting the number of terms that a representative is allowed to serve does often arise in election years. An increase in the number of representatives and other officials is possible as the U.S. population grows, but would re...