Why is the pay scale so low for AL state employees in the southern region?

Answer 1

State jobs in a lot of places pay very poorly. The trade off is permanent job security, a pension, and decent benefits. A lot of state jobs don't seem to require college educations, either. My local tax collector's office only pays $10 an hour. Who can live on that?

Answer 2

Except for the US Post Office which is daft and pays everyone as if they lived on Manhattan Island in a penthouse, most states pay according to the "cost of living" which is lower in most Southern states because of not paying for heating frozen apartments, city snowplow expense, salting roads,etc.