Random charts - federal compensation

Source: Comparing the Compensation of Federal and Private-Sector Employees

Politicians (and others) have long argued whether federal employees are paid better, as well as, or worse than similar public sector employees. This CBO study looks at the questions, and concludes:

CBO combined its analyses of wages and benefits to assess differences between the federal government and
the private sector in total compensation for workers with certain similar observable characteristics:

• Among people with a high school diploma or less education, total compensation costs were 36 percent higher, on average, for federal employees than for similar private-sector employees.
• Among people whose education ended in a bachelor’s degree, the cost of total compensation averaged 15 percent more for federal workers than for similar workers in the private sector.
• Among people with a professional degree or doctorate, by contrast, total compensation costs were 18 percent lower, on average, for federal employees than for private-sector employees with similar attributes.