The work of our auditors at OpenTheBooks.com tells a compelling story: Public service is supposed to be about serving the people. However, the good intentions of America’s 19 million public employees come at a very high price for the people – nearly $1 trillion. In many cases, taxpayers generously fund these employee salaries.

Our online database is free to use and includes most employees within the federal, state, and local governments. You can search in your backyard or across the nation. Find out just how much public employees made last year. The salary records include name, salary, position title, and employer for 2017.

The data is full of stunning examples.

Tree trimmers in Chicago lopped off $106,000.

New York City school janitors cleaned off $165,000 while out earning the principals at $135,000.

Lifeguards in Los Angeles County, California, made up to $365,000.

In the small school district in Southlake, Texas (8,000 students), the school superintendent earned $420,000.

Help the reform-minded mayors, school superintendents, legislators and members of Congress by finding the waste, overspending, and bloated government in your very own neighborhood.

Search our interactive map of the top 2 million most highly compensated public employees across America. Just click a pin (your ZIP code) and scroll down to see the results that render in the chart beneath the map. Click here to access the map below.