Larimer County HR says pay ranges now better reflect experience, with turnover down

Larimer County’s human resources staff told commissioners that a newly added pay-distribution analysis shows employees are now spread relatively evenly across salary-range quartiles, a pattern they said reflects more consistent hiring based on experience and stronger retention of long-tenured workers. HR leaders said the shift marks a significant change from a decade ago, when employees were more likely to cluster near the bottom of their pay ranges.

Bridget Paris said the county previously treated the midpoint of a salary range as the average market value for a job, which meant new hires at the start of a range could be paid well below what the job should command. Over time, she said, the county moved that average value closer to the first quartile and worked with departments on hiring and pay practices. The result, Paris said, is a distribution that shows the county is "not just setting everyone at the beginning of their range" and is doing a better job of recognizing the experience and value new hires bring.

Commissioner John Kefalas called that outcome "the goal for many, many years" and said it shows managers and department directors are using the compensation plan as intended by placing experienced hires higher in the range rather than defaulting to the bottom. He said the change represents a broader culture shift for the organization.

Paris said about 227 county employees are expected to be at the maximum of their pay ranges by the end of 2026, generally workers with more than 15 years of service. She said that reflects both retention and an aging workforce, while also signaling that more employees may continue moving into the third and fourth quartiles over the next few years.

The county’s turnover rate has also fallen, Paris said, dropping by about 2 percentage points, from roughly 15% to 13%. She tied that decline partly to broader political and economic conditions, saying workers are moving less as larger employers face layoffs and instability. If that continues, she said, the county is likely to see even more workforce stability and more employees concentrated in the upper end of their salary ranges.