The U.S. Office of Personnel Management is raising the pay of more than 150 civilian employees at Minot Air Force Base to help them offset the high cost of living in western North Dakota.
The employees will see their salaries jump between 33 and 37 percent.
U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp made the announcement in a statement Tuesday. She says the salary increase will help keep civilian jobs filled at the base and help employees cope with the high cost of living and housing in the area.
The oil boom and resulting economic boom has significantly raised the cost of living in western North Dakota in recent years. Private sector salaries have largely adjusted to these costs. But often federal government jobs have lagged behind in salary adjustment.