The Average Salary of Federal Workers
With about two million employees, not including the Postal Service, the federal government is the largest employer in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Among other duties, federal workers are responsible for enforcing laws, administering domestic programs and defending the country from foreign aggression. The types of jobs, their salaries and responsibilities mirror those of the private sector.
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General Schedule
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Most federal workers are compensated under the General Schedule (GS), which contains 15 pay grades that define how much civilian white-collar and service workers earn. In addition, they also receive locality pay, to make the jobs more competitive for certain local markets. GS 1, the lowest level, pays from $17,540 to $21,944 per year, as of March 2009. GS 8, a mid-range level, receives $37,075 to $48,199. The highest G 15 level gets $98,156 to $127,604. The average annual earnings for a full-time employee is $74,403.
Jobs
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Salaries also differ by specific job title. Some examples include police at $52,085, border patrol agents at $59,594 and correctional officers at $53,459. For medical specialties, some positions include medical technologists at $64,774, nursing assistants at $34,728 and nurses at $77,166. Finally, some professional employees include general attorneys at $128,422, architects at $94,056 and economists at $108,010. These are average salaries provided by the BLS as of March 2009.
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Experience
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The PayScale Report states that salaries in the government can vary by experience. As of October 2010, new employees earned a median salary of $44,917. Those with one to four years of work experience earned $48,231, while those with five to nine years of experience received $58,610. Finally, those with 10 to 19 years of experience made $70,956, while those with 20 or more years of experience got $86,013.
State
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The state in which the job is performed can affect pay. Payscale says federal workers in the District of Columbia as of October 2010 earned the highest median salary at $80,776, followed by Maryland at $70,169. California offered $65,484, while Virginia averaged $68,758. Receiving some of the lowest salaries were those working in Texas for $55,723 and those in Florida getting $57,076.
City
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The city of employment also figures into salary allotments. Payscale's October 2010 numbers show federal employees in Washington, D.C. earning the most at a median of $80,613, followed by New York City at $68,127. Other cities' examples include Los Angeles at $67,632 and San Diego at $66,414. On the lower end of the scale are two cities in Texas: Houston, which pays $59,996, and San Antonio, which pays $61,072. A city with lower pay outside Texas is Atlanta, Georgia, which offers $62,320.
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