The US government will stop tracking local wages for federal workers in some areas

The Office of Personnel Management will no longer conduct local wage surveys for federal workers in Hennepin, Minnesota. This means the wages for these workers will now be based on rates in nearby areas, or not tracked at all if there's no federal employment.

The US government sets wages for some of its workers based on local market rates. This requires local surveys, which are expensive and time-consuming. When local federal employment declines, the cost of these surveys becomes harder to justify. This change means the government is quietly reducing its administrative burden in areas where it has fewer employees.