Analysis of UC Salary Data
The compensation for non-academic positions at the University of California is staggering. At Berkeley alone, the base payroll for the “All Staff” category reached $812.3 Million in 2023. When adding standard 38% employee benefits, the total cost eclipses $1.12 Billion—amounting to over $28,000 for every one of our roughly 40,000 students in 2023 (and undoubtedly higher today), before a single instructor or researcher is paid. Diving into the data reveals a trend of increasing administrative bloat while actual instructional and research roles see smaller cuts of the pie.
A Decade of Identifying Bloat
I have petitioned leaders, presented analysis, and joined committees for over a decade trying to optimize and retarget these resources back to our core educational and research missions. For example, my 10-Year Historical Budget Analysis and my 2016 Joint Analysis with UC Berkeley’s Office of Finance mathematically demonstrated that if Berkeley operated as “efficiently” as UC Santa Barbara, we could reduce costs by hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Despite repeating these efforts across various Divisional Councils, the administrative inside game often justifies every decision. Too many people benefit, and the decision-makers are too close to those people to do anything productive.
The Recent Reality: 2018–2023
To see if the trajectory has changed, we recently analyzed the latest, inflation-adjusted expenditure growth across primary “SuperGroups” (Teaching, Research, All Staff) from 2018 to 2023 using a stable classification baseline.
The results at UC Berkeley remain striking:
* All Staff base payroll grew by over $46.9 Million to eclipse $812.3 Million (a 6.1% increase above inflation). When factoring in the standard 38% cost of employee benefits, total compensation for this group rises to over $1.12 Billion annually.
* Teaching payroll shrank by roughly $6.3 Million (-1.3% adjusted for inflation).
* Research payroll shrank by roughly $10.4 Million (-4.3% adjusted for inflation).
Where the Money Isn’t Going
While administrative and non-academic staff expenditures continue to grow robustly, the actual engines of the university—instruction and research—are seeing much more modest growth or even contraction when adjusted for inflation. Using the verified 2023 data, we can explicitly track the payroll for the core mission at Berkeley:
- Academic Staff: The essential backbone of departmental operations saw total expenditure sit at $120.2 Million in 2023.
- Student Instruction: Spend at Berkeley has fluctuated wildly, landing at just $37.9 Million in 2023.
- Research Staff: This crucial category has seen relatively stagnant expenditure over the last decade, resting at $46.7 Million in 2023.
By comparison, the broader “All Staff” bucket cost the university over $812.3 Million in base payroll in 2023. When including the standard 38% for employee benefits, the true compensation cost for this group eclipses $1.12 Billion—dwarfing the university’s core instructional and research investments. Changing this trajectory requires real leverage, not just analysis.
Full Data Breakdown (2018-2023)
All values below are adjusted for inflation to 2023 dollars. Growth calculated from 2018 baseline. Click any SuperGroup to expand the underlying category data.
All Staff (Berkeley) | 2018: $765,448,343 (49.3%) ➔ 2023: $812,376,622 (51.7%) | Growth: 6.1%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | $543,439,237 | $571,747,184 | 5.2% |
| Acad Staff | $116,870,797 | $120,225,841 | 2.9% |
| Admin Staff | $54,355,120 | $53,628,917 | -1.3% |
| Unmatched | $25,713,828 | $46,282,881 | 80.0% |
| Admin | $25,069,361 | $20,491,799 | -18.3% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | $407,901,428 | $441,755,050 | $494,832,245 | $506,917,705 | $539,485,645 | $533,730,815 | $543,439,237 | $570,758,113 | $592,276,708 | $561,045,590 | $551,460,415 | $571,747,184 |
| Acad Staff | $92,957,971 | $96,937,773 | $102,992,830 | $110,235,587 | $114,469,323 | $116,839,272 | $116,870,797 | $117,507,797 | $124,710,621 | $123,181,223 | $121,357,584 | $120,225,841 |
| Admin Staff | $44,620,444 | $47,465,526 | $52,009,294 | $51,484,996 | $51,740,235 | $52,658,697 | $54,355,120 | $57,422,428 | $62,425,372 | $59,526,249 | $49,935,641 | $53,628,917 |
| Unmatched | $92,034,529 | $92,635,745 | $78,992,480 | $78,498,282 | $44,287,454 | $31,809,279 | $25,713,828 | $10,210,235 | $0 | $10,402,213 | $28,292,291 | $46,282,881 |
| Admin | $19,956,515 | $18,018,941 | $25,069,434 | $24,773,462 | $24,984,753 | $25,693,412 | $25,069,361 | $19,501,781 | $20,861,309 | $21,233,405 | $19,931,086 | $20,491,799 |
All Staff (Santa Barbara) | 2018: $286,768,508 (44.9%) ➔ 2023: $296,562,937 (37.6%) | Growth: 3.4%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | $168,862,095 | $183,517,631 | 8.7% |
| Acad Staff | $40,352,370 | $49,445,582 | 22.5% |
| Unmatched | $53,108,458 | $40,997,447 | -22.8% |
| Admin Staff | $18,131,508 | $14,720,292 | -18.8% |
| Admin | $6,314,077 | $7,881,985 | 24.8% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | $55,160,503 | $59,496,624 | $62,404,275 | $62,815,620 | $65,050,600 | $65,232,292 | $168,862,095 | $180,452,364 | $186,073,918 | $173,448,416 | $168,105,291 | $183,517,631 |
| Acad Staff | $11,133,507 | $12,097,541 | $14,095,921 | $14,845,133 | $16,215,500 | $17,444,079 | $40,352,370 | $42,407,926 | $45,190,028 | $42,720,745 | $42,349,988 | $49,445,582 |
| Unmatched | $145,580,770 | $153,477,721 | $159,042,515 | $166,757,437 | $172,903,192 | $178,030,131 | $53,108,458 | $38,855,814 | $35,849,936 | $32,267,032 | $34,837,911 | $40,997,447 |
| Admin Staff | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $18,131,508 | $18,475,060 | $19,144,432 | $18,992,846 | $14,078,760 | $14,720,292 |
| Admin | $4,461,525 | $5,076,170 | $5,588,860 | $5,265,619 | $6,126,396 | $6,426,724 | $6,314,077 | $7,712,546 | $7,348,346 | $7,240,216 | $7,644,032 | $7,881,985 |
Teaching (Berkeley) | 2018: $470,632,777 (30.3%) ➔ 2023: $464,280,145 (29.5%) | Growth: -1.3%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | $323,494,948 | $329,556,389 | 1.9% |
| Unit 18 | $53,624,129 | $58,206,952 | 8.5% |
| Student Instruction | $62,554,612 | $37,921,967 | -39.4% |
| Non-Senate | $26,841,445 | $25,039,588 | -6.7% |
| Teaching Track | $3,331,448 | $8,754,601 | 162.8% |
| Unmatched | $786,195 | $4,800,648 | 510.6% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | $287,603,183 | $295,899,164 | $300,870,634 | $311,840,940 | $319,693,207 | $319,956,693 | $323,494,948 | $354,200,197 | $371,883,536 | $342,384,918 | $320,962,086 | $329,556,389 |
| Unit 18 | $34,276,041 | $31,414,643 | $34,981,024 | $37,321,122 | $42,724,760 | $50,101,907 | $53,624,129 | $55,561,213 | $57,886,593 | $56,215,375 | $67,783,562 | $58,206,952 |
| Student Instruction | $52,738,764 | $49,581,210 | $53,864,957 | $57,465,581 | $57,385,420 | $59,054,971 | $62,554,612 | $69,994,978 | $69,402,685 | $63,249,233 | $60,201,343 | $37,921,967 |
| Non-Senate | $10,804,694 | $14,136,389 | $23,964,897 | $24,483,599 | $24,545,599 | $26,539,538 | $26,841,445 | $22,976,935 | $27,538,436 | $24,816,186 | $25,495,342 | $25,039,588 |
| Teaching Track | $3,089,242 | $2,684,386 | $2,236,143 | $2,246,290 | $2,401,435 | $2,550,098 | $3,331,448 | $3,606,811 | $5,298,507 | $7,115,856 | $8,161,343 | $8,754,601 |
| Unmatched | $27,517,190 | $21,200,166 | $17,846,116 | $16,854,206 | $12,994,247 | $3,542,551 | $786,195 | $991,604 | $0 | $616,313 | $2,056,890 | $4,800,648 |
Teaching (Santa Barbara) | 2018: $229,999,359 (36.0%) ➔ 2023: $301,957,170 (38.2%) | Growth: 31.3%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | $173,081,061 | $184,376,773 | 6.5% |
| Student Instruction | $23,945,385 | $78,463,866 | 227.7% |
| Unit 18 | $17,756,418 | $19,546,677 | 10.1% |
| Teaching Track | $7,047,442 | $10,229,846 | 45.2% |
| Non-Senate | $5,233,814 | $5,915,485 | 13.0% |
| Unmatched | $2,935,240 | $3,424,523 | 16.7% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | $143,009,535 | $143,207,822 | $147,580,469 | $155,213,644 | $166,106,265 | $171,239,052 | $173,081,061 | $184,619,455 | $195,517,481 | $189,944,054 | $180,365,126 | $184,376,773 |
| Student Instruction | $24,175,735 | $24,597,285 | $24,696,480 | $27,074,887 | $28,292,814 | $30,267,088 | $23,945,385 | $31,399,811 | $34,161,713 | $36,863,627 | $33,944,491 | $78,463,866 |
| Unit 18 | $12,517,327 | $13,045,090 | $14,595,502 | $14,936,570 | $15,820,012 | $16,400,159 | $17,756,418 | $18,466,241 | $18,513,770 | $17,528,850 | $18,259,595 | $19,546,677 |
| Teaching Track | $2,883,057 | $2,724,594 | $3,759,742 | $3,994,822 | $4,487,349 | $5,030,308 | $7,047,442 | $7,449,596 | $9,116,095 | $10,314,168 | $9,429,532 | $10,229,846 |
| Non-Senate | $1,790,350 | $2,631,905 | $4,679,762 | $4,379,740 | $4,909,153 | $4,791,307 | $5,233,814 | $4,372,939 | $6,225,199 | $5,954,658 | $5,510,873 | $5,915,485 |
| Unmatched | $6,002,152 | $6,212,124 | $3,870,038 | $4,212,323 | $4,215,588 | $4,568,966 | $2,935,240 | $3,506,242 | $3,707,757 | $3,280,757 | $3,326,547 | $3,424,523 |
Research (Berkeley) | 2018: $245,842,216 (15.8%) ➔ 2023: $235,368,066 (15.0%) | Growth: -4.3%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | $131,788,086 | $128,054,046 | -2.8% |
| Student Reasearch | $60,614,401 | $51,649,772 | -14.8% |
| Research Staff | $45,834,952 | $46,721,411 | 1.9% |
| Unmatched | $7,604,777 | $8,942,837 | 17.6% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research | $134,417,444 | $140,294,536 | $135,264,591 | $133,372,498 | $132,425,767 | $134,492,651 | $131,788,086 | $128,120,819 | $120,036,392 | $123,359,706 | $120,268,543 | $128,054,046 |
| Student Reasearch | $51,808,852 | $58,267,108 | $50,048,714 | $53,266,709 | $57,893,237 | $58,575,928 | $60,614,401 | $62,010,781 | $70,908,870 | $72,959,290 | $70,696,617 | $51,649,772 |
| Research Staff | $41,760,669 | $42,400,817 | $45,726,102 | $47,299,333 | $46,535,618 | $46,930,674 | $45,834,952 | $45,787,981 | $52,511,625 | $49,943,796 | $48,377,171 | $46,721,411 |
| Unmatched | $6,596,262 | $6,003,667 | $6,998,871 | $6,948,181 | $7,560,735 | $7,628,309 | $7,604,777 | $415,562 | $0 | $6,095,608 | $7,066,441 | $8,942,837 |
Research (Santa Barbara) | 2018: $84,662,572 (13.3%) ➔ 2023: $135,096,055 (17.1%) | Growth: 59.6%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Reasearch | $28,681,177 | $73,177,623 | 155.1% |
| Research | $37,601,843 | $41,244,612 | 9.7% |
| Research Staff | $14,174,258 | $14,811,016 | 4.5% |
| Unmatched | $4,205,293 | $5,862,804 | 39.4% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Reasearch | $22,302,997 | $24,860,716 | $22,259,889 | $22,049,786 | $23,248,280 | $24,187,070 | $28,681,177 | $25,386,992 | $27,242,468 | $31,200,638 | $31,776,024 | $73,177,623 |
| Research | $41,222,220 | $38,469,421 | $35,586,535 | $37,294,419 | $36,891,695 | $38,181,067 | $37,601,843 | $38,898,792 | $34,802,867 | $35,686,834 | $35,041,219 | $41,244,612 |
| Research Staff | $2,919,614 | $2,562,860 | $2,230,552 | $2,116,186 | $2,515,397 | $2,545,722 | $14,174,258 | $14,327,870 | $14,415,073 | $14,139,946 | $13,647,845 | $14,811,016 |
| Unmatched | $2,919,653 | $3,176,969 | $3,194,855 | $3,190,452 | $3,607,000 | $3,556,360 | $4,205,293 | $4,380,880 | $4,511,766 | $4,225,696 | $4,053,590 | $5,862,804 |
Students (Berkeley) | 2018: $38,239,776 (2.5%) ➔ 2023: $23,571,666 (1.5%) | Growth: -38.4%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | $37,732,430 | $22,642,950 | -40.0% |
| Unmatched | $507,347 | $928,716 | 83.1% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | $23,877,408 | $23,709,469 | $25,394,580 | $27,460,638 | $32,653,482 | $35,410,578 | $37,732,430 | $41,491,400 | $33,848,883 | $26,922,329 | $33,065,574 | $22,642,950 |
| Unmatched | $9,522,944 | $9,778,443 | $9,516,772 | $6,257,770 | $2,173,926 | $657,886 | $507,347 | $518,657 | $0 | $229,718 | $546,726 | $928,716 |
Students (Santa Barbara) | 2018: $31,276,208 (4.9%) ➔ 2023: $48,787,074 (6.2%) | Growth: 56.0%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unmatched | $31,051,713 | $48,699,290 | 56.8% |
| Students | $224,495 | $87,784 | -60.9% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmatched | $19,716,963 | $20,782,913 | $21,652,155 | $38,636,425 | $46,175,467 | $49,306,253 | $31,051,713 | $32,744,039 | $20,330,184 | $13,295,547 | $22,913,667 | $48,699,290 |
| Students | $18,482,313 | $19,603,278 | $20,346,499 | $5,159,941 | $207,088 | $221,253 | $224,495 | $663,108 | $304,443 | $155,380 | $78,230 | $87,784 |
Athletics (Berkeley) | 2018: $33,623,325 (2.2%) ➔ 2023: $36,706,939 (2.3%) | Growth: 9.2%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | $22,839,728 | $23,806,437 | 4.2% |
| Coach | $10,783,597 | $12,900,502 | 19.6% |
| Unmatched | $0 | $0 | 0.0% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | $11,249,241 | $12,442,070 | $13,365,619 | $13,678,134 | $16,599,926 | $21,528,345 | $22,839,728 | $24,093,161 | $22,672,521 | $21,291,327 | $21,485,869 | $23,806,437 |
| Coach | $10,375,235 | $13,421,157 | $12,114,580 | $12,482,991 | $12,829,907 | $11,981,353 | $10,783,597 | $10,999,911 | $11,644,402 | $12,229,576 | $11,762,263 | $12,900,502 |
| Unmatched | $308,005 | $285,490 | $382,009 | $452,846 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Athletics (Santa Barbara) | 2018: $5,884,460 (0.9%) ➔ 2023: $7,172,230 (0.9%) | Growth: 21.9%
#### Category Breakdown (2018 vs 2023)
| Category | 2018 Payroll | 2023 Payroll | % Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | $3,310,763 | $4,169,111 | 25.9% |
| Coach | $2,522,389 | $2,977,010 | 18.0% |
| Unmatched | $51,309 | $26,109 | -49.1% |
#### Year-By-Year Trend (Subcategories)
| Category | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $3,310,763 | $3,779,966 | $3,839,521 | $3,608,774 | $3,664,321 | $4,169,111 |
| Coach | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2,522,389 | $2,503,448 | $2,493,462 | $2,605,283 | $2,531,245 | $2,977,010 |
| Unmatched | $3,981,218 | $3,962,437 | $3,895,493 | $4,457,483 | $4,662,706 | $4,926,495 | $51,309 | $1,996 | $2,184 | $5,516 | $23,720 | $26,109 |
