In a highly competitive employment market, what benefits and job charactersitics are important to prospective employees? How can local government employers leverage that information to attract the best and brightest? To learn more about what is important to prospective employees, the Center for State and Local Government Excellence commissioned a public opinion poll of 1200 Americans. The findings reinforce the edge that state and local governments have in the areas of health insurance and retirement plans. At the same time, fiscal pressures require governments to be more creative than ever to attract, retain, and develop their work force while also maintaining high quality benefits.