HOUSTON CITY PAYROLL ANALYSIS AS OF FEBRUARY 2025
- Cosmas Ashibeshi
- Feb 23
- 4 min read
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This project analyzes workforce data from the City of Houston to uncover trends in employee demographics, hiring patterns, departmental staffing, and salary distribution. By visualizing and interpreting key metrics, the project aims to highlight disparities, operational strengths, and areas for strategic improvement. The ultimate goal is to support data-driven decisions that promote inclusivity, efficiency, and long-term workforce planning.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project aims to highlight the following:
Understand Workforce Demographics: Analyze employee race, age, and gender distribution.
Identify Hiring Trends: Pinpoint peak hiring months and overall employee count.
Highlight Departmental Structures: Uncover staffing and payroll distribution across departments.
Inform Strategic Workforce Planning: Provide data insights for future workforce decisions.
Empower Stakeholders: Offer a clear overview of Houston City’s workforce composition.
DATASET OVERVIEW
The dataset for this project was sourced from the City of Houston, Texas Open Data Site, and it contains detailed entries of employee details, which include:
Gender
Race
Employment Type
Category
Gross Pay
DATA CLEANING
The dataset was already cleaned; I just had to remove some unnecessary columns and do a few calculations, like Average pay and Average age.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS
Black employees represent the largest racial group in the city’s workforce with 7,987 individuals, followed by Hispanic/Latino (6,385) and White employees (6,085). Asian (1,666) and American Indian (101) employees have significantly lower representation.
Hiring volume is highest in January with 7,107 hires, followed by a sharp drop in February (1,240). Moderate fluctuations occur from March to October, with hires ranging between 1,291 and 1,782. December sees another rise to 1,697 hires. This pattern indicates cyclical hiring, possibly tied to fiscal planning.
The largest employee segments are aged 48–57 (5,679), 38–47 (5,671), and 28–37 (5,069), indicating a predominance of mid- to late-career professionals. Representation declines significantly among 18–27-year-olds (1,597), and further among older age groups: 68–77 (598), 78–87 (37), and 88–97 (3).
As of February 2025, males account for 69% of the workforce (15,493), while females make up 31% (6,877). This imbalance may reflect gendered staffing patterns in departments like Police and Fire, which have large male-dominated staff counts.
The Fire Department leads with a total payroll of $388,939, followed by the Legal Department ($340,000), Houston Airport System ($335,000), and the Mayor’s Office ($328,016). Police and Houston Public Works each report joint payrolls of $325,000.
The Police Department employs the most staff (6,964), followed by the Fire Department (4,024) and Houston Public Works (3,983). Departments such as Airport System (1,408), Health & Human Services (1,235), Parks & Recreation (744), and Library (518) have smaller staffing levels.
Key Insights
Male employees make up 69% of the workforce.
The Fire Department, despite having fewer staff than the Police, has the highest payroll.
January shows the highest hiring activity.
The average employee age of 45.59 years suggests a mature workforce.
Full-time roles are predominant, indicating a preference for long-term employment.
The average base salary of $74,032.93 suggests competitive pay in line with public sector standards.
FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Our analysis shows underrepresentation of Asians and American Indians in the city workforce. We recommend targeted recruitment partnerships with minority organizations and local job boards to attract diverse talent. Implementing inclusive hiring practices across all departments will help build a more balanced workforce that better reflects our community.
January shows significant hiring spikes followed by sharp declines. HR should align onboarding resources with these peak periods to ensure smoother transitions. Investigating reasons behind slower hiring months could help balance recruitment throughout the year, reducing resource strain and improving consistency.
The Fire Department earns significantly higher total payroll despite having fewer staff than other departments, likely due to high-risk roles and overtime. Regular review of pay structures across departments, analysis of overtime patterns, and implementation of performance-based incentives would optimize payroll distribution and reduce budget pressure.
Police, Fire, and Public Works employ the largest staff contingents, reflecting their essential role in city operations. Smaller departments like Library and Parks & Recreation should be evaluated to ensure adequate public service delivery. Upskilling existing staff and creating inter-departmental support systems could address operational challenges in these smaller teams.
With most employees in their mid-to-late career, Houston needs robust succession planning and knowledge transfer systems. The limited number of employees in the 18–27 bracket suggests enhancing internship programs, graduate entry roles, and university partnerships. Investing in training programs supporting both upward mobility and generational knowledge exchange will ensure continuity and prevent skill gaps as senior employees retire.
The 69% male workforce highlights the need for gender-sensitive recruitment. We recommend actively promoting gender equity through inclusive hiring campaigns, women’s leadership development programs, and gender audits in male-dominated roles. Creating a welcoming, flexible work environment will help attract and retain female employees across all departments.
CONCLUSION
My analysis of Houston’s 22,000+ employees reveal the human foundation behind the city’s operations. Beyond the numbers, I uncovered critical insights about priorities, challenges, and opportunities within Houston’s workforce.
The data shows clear emphasis on public safety and infrastructure through staffing and payroll allocations, while highlighting important growth areas in diversity, age distribution, and gender representation. These findings provide actionable intelligence for city leadership to implement more inclusive recruitment, strategic workforce planning, and equitable compensation practices.
As Houston evolves, so must its approach to human capital. This analysis offers a foundation for decisions that balance operational needs with equity goals and fiscal responsibility with fair compensation.
Houston’s true value lies not in its skyline but in the thousands of individuals who make the city work. Through data-informed workforce management, Houston can better support these employees while continuing to deliver the essential services its residents depend on daily.
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