In 1984, there were 9.8 million federal employees.
By 2010 this became 11.3 million only to decline to a little over 9 million by late 2017, despite
a significantly larger population.
President Trump has goals to decrease the federal workforce yet further.
This may not be the best news for many who enjoy the benefits of a government job.
But just what does such employment have to offer?
Let’s find out in this episode of The Infographics Show, How Much Does the Average Federal Worker
Earn?
How Much do Different Positions in the Government Earn?
On average, federal workers received $90,000 a year with additional benefits that boost
that amount closer to $125,000.
This includes millions who hold either white-collar, blue-collar, or various other types of jobs.
But how much does each of these really pay?
Let’s take a closer look.
Most civilian white-collar employees in the federal government have annual pay rates that
fall under the General Schedule (GS) scale administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management.
Approximately 1.5 million employees around the world are classified as GS and hold jobs
in professional, artistic, administrative, clerical, scientific, or technical positions.
These include positions classified together in groups such as the social sciences, human
resources, administrative and clerical, accounting, engineering, legal, business, investigation,
inspection, transportation, and more.
There are a total of 15 grades within the General Schedule system.
GS-1 is the lowest and GS-15 is the highest.
Grades assigned to each position are determined by the hiring agencies themselves.
To do this they consider such things as job task complexity, responsibility, and qualifying
skills and expertise.
GS-2 positions are typically filled by those who have graduated from high school but who
lack further education or experience.
A bachelor’s degree will qualify most for a position at the GS-5 level, while master’s
degrees set individuals up for a GS-9 level position.
Each of these grade levels is further broken down into steps from 1 to 10 that give an
approximate three percent increase in salary.
Step 1 is again the lowest, and step 10 is the highest.
A progression through these steps is made by a combination of ability demonstrated on
the job as well as how long an individual has successfully held a position.
The rate that most advance is as follows: it takes one year to pass through each of
the first three steps, two years for each step from 4 to 6, and three years for steps
from 7 to 9.
Based on this general rule, it will take approximately 18 years to move through each and every step
within a GS grade.
However, this does vary.
Truly exceptional employees, for instance, may move more quickly to achieve higher pay
faster than others with less skill or dedication.
However, there is a limit of one step increase per year per employee.
Most entering into a GS job will begin at the first step within their grade.
However, there are some exceptions here as well.
For positions where employees are hard to come by or where an employee with qualifications
above and beyond what is expected, they may begin at a step above the first.
The same holds true for certain federal employees moving from a different type of job to a GS
position.
And, of course, higher GS grades may be achieved through promotion, though this is typically
not done until after a minimum of one year on the job.
GS base pay changes annually each January with increases based on the wages and salaries
of those in the private sector.
In January of 2018, there was an overall increase of 1.4% across the board.
However, in January of 2019, the base pay rate was frozen via executive order by President
Trump.
As a consequence, base pay remains identical to that of the previous year, or to 2018.
However, salaries are not determined by base pay alone.
In addition to this, GS employees working within the United States also receive locality
pay which is determined by the area in which they work.
This exact percentage is calculated with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Locality pay is broken up into regions, 47 to be exact, with 44 of these covering major
areas within each state.
Two cover the entire states of Alaska and Hawaii, with each state having one locality
each.
Any areas left out fall under the Rest of the U.S. locality.
According to the current GS salary table, step 1 for grade 1 provides an annual base
pay of $18,785.
However, with a high school diploma most would start at grade 2, step 1 which is $21,121
per year.
A bachelors qualifies most for grade 5, step 1 with $28,945 each year and those with a
master’s could begin a grade 9, step 1 job with $43, 857 a year.
The amount of increase for each step within these grades is greater as the grade goes
up.
For Grade 2, the amount per step varies and there is an increase of $502 from step 1 to
2 and an increase of $699 from step 2 to 3.
From grade 3 on, the increase per step is the same throughout the grade.
For example, Grade 5 step 2, is an additional $965 from step 1 and Grade 5 step 3 is $965
more than step 2.
Grade 9, step 2 is a $1,462 increase from step 1, and the third step is al $1,462 increase
from step 2, and so on.
At step 10, after approximately 18 years on the job and before achieving the next level
grade, those who started at grade 2 with a high school diploma will make a base pay of
$26, 585, those who started with a bachelor’s at grade 5 will earn $37, 630, and those with
a master’s who began at grade 9 will earn $57,015.
Those who achieve employment at the very highest grade in their position, or grade 15, will
start with an annual salary of $105, 123 and make it to $136, 659 by the 10th step.
However, as previously mentioned, locality pay is added to this base.
Therefore, although the base pay for a Grade 1, step 1 job is set at $18,785, once this
extra amount is added someone beginning this job in Alaska would make $24, 049 while someone
in the same position would make $22,247 in Hawaii.
For other states, further divided by region within the state, employees will make different
amounts depending on which city they live in.
Someone in Los Angeles, California, for example, would make $24, 528 at grade 1 step 1 while
someone in Sacramento would make $23, 455 and another person in San Francisco would
earn $26,164.
So, whereas, base pay is the starting point for salary calculations, the actual amount
earned depends on specific location.
Blue-collar employees do not receive annual General Schedule pay but are paid hourly as
determined by the Federal Wage System (FWS).
The Department of Defense is the main entity responsible for issuing these pay schedules
as well as employing civilians in these areas.
Positions in this category are classified by family and include trades and crafts, including
mechanical and manual-labor type jobs as well as supervisory roles.
Examples would be wire communications and electronic equipment installation and maintenance,
fabric and leather work, structural and finishing work, metal work and processing, plumbing
and pipefitting, food preparation and serving, engine and aircraft overhaul, film processing,
and more.
This includes different pay plans based on the specific position.
What these pay plans do is differentiate between whether a position has appropriated funds
or not, or in other words, whether or not funds were provided via congressional legislation
and presidential approval, or not, as well as whether it is a leadership or supervisory
role.
The Department of Defense lists schedules on its website for positions in different
US states and the pay varies accordingly.
In the Federal Wage System schedule for employees in Topeka, Kansas, for example, those whose
job is nonsupervisory grade make less than those who hold leader grade positions and
those in supervisory roles make the most.
In other words, those labeled as WG-rates for nonsupervisory appropriated fund make
less than WL or appropriated fund leader who make less than WS or appropriated fund supervisory
grade.
Nonsupervisory and leadership wages have 15 grades; supervisor rates go up to 19 grades.
Each grade has 5 steps.
The salary of someone who begins a nonsupervisory job at grade 1, level 1 in Topeka, Kansas
is $12.54 an hour.
For leaders it is $13.78 hourly and for supervisors it climbs to $20.06.
The most nosupervisory jobs pay at grade 15, step 5 is $34.55 per hour and leadership rates
reach the highest amount of $38.08.
Supervisory roles go all the way up to grade 19, step 5 with an hourly pay of $51.16.
Nonappropriated Funds schedules have the same scheduling and steps based on whether they
are supervisory or leadership jobs or not.
In foreign areas, an entry position at grade 1 step 1 for a nonsupervisory position is
$8.75 an hour, for leadership positions is $9.62 hourly, and climbs to $11.55 for supervisory
roles.
Nonsupervisory positions cap at grade 15 step 5 or $22.65 an hour, leadership goes up to
grade 15 level 5 at $24.91 an hour, while supervisors can progress to grade 19, step
5 or $31.73 an hour.
In addition to general base pay for white-collar and blue-collar employees that follow the
GS or FWS schedules, the government makes some exceptions with specialty pay in certain
circumstances.
For example, specialty pay is offered for some jobs in some locations based on their
ability to find satisfactory employees for a given position.
These increase salaries to make a position more desirable to prospective employees.
Special rates are available for medical instrument technicians in Alaska, firefighters in San
Luis Obispo, California, and nurses in Rochester, Minnesota, and actuaries in Missouri, Ohio,
and Utah, for example.
Special pay rates are also provided for law enforcement officers at the grade 3 to grade
10 level.
Beginning base pay for Grade 3, step 1 is $27,653 a year which increases by $768 per
step.
The last Grade at specialty base pay, Grade 10, begins with a step 1 salary of $49,907
a year and with increases of $1,610 per step.
The last grade and step on the base pay scale for law enforcement officers is grade 15,
step 10 at $136, 659, but, remember, this is a base rate.
To this, locality pay is added.
In Albany, New York this is an extra 16.5%, in Austin, Texas this is an extra 16.71%,
and in Cincinnati, Ohio the increase is 19.87%.
Senior executive service employees and senior-level scientific or professional positions have
their own pay rates as well, and make from $126, 148 to $189,600 a year.
Administrative Law Judges range from $109,600 to $164,200, and Administration Appeal Judge
positions range from $109,600 to $151, 700.
Basic pay for Members of the Boards of Contract Appeals are $164,200 for chairmen, $159,274
for vice chairmen, and $154,348 for all other members.
Like other salaries, locality pay is added to these base rates for judges and members
of the Board of Contract Appeals.
Senior political official rate is determined by level.
Those that occupy these positions are mostly appointed by the President of the United States,
typically with Senate approval.
Level V positions earn the least while Level 1 have the largest salaries.
Level V positions with a yearly salary of $153,800 include the Deputy Under Secretary
for Education, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, and the Counselor
to the Secretary of Labor.
Those positions that are considered level IV and earn $164,200 a year include Assistant
Secretary of the Air Force, Director of the National Institutes of Health, Executive Secretary
of the National Security Council, and the Assistant Secretary for Aging.
Level III positions earn $174,500 and includes several under secretary jobs in the department
of agriculture, commerce, defense, education, energy, and more.
Just above this at the level II position and a salary of $289,600 are Deputy Secretary
positions in agriculture, defense, education, energy, and health and human services, and
many others for a total of over 50 jobs.
The highest level, level 1, provides pay of $210,700 and includes several key positions.
These include the critical jobs of Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney
General, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, United States Trade Representative,
and more.
The President of the United States determines the annual salaries of members of Congress
through an executive order.
Those not in leadership positions currently earn $174,000 a year while the Speaker of
the House makes $223,500 and majority and minority leaders and the Senate president
make an annual income of $193,400.
Of course, the President has the highest salary of all at $400,000 a year.
This does not include a supplementary $50,000 for extra expenditures as well as a $100,000
travel account and a further $19,000 set aside for entertainment.
The Vice President was one of the few positions to get a January 2018 raise.
Pay increased from $230,700 to $243,500 or by 5.5%.
First Lady Melania Trump, as advisor to the President, makes no income at all.
From white-collar to blue-collar to specialty and executive branch pay, the benefits of
different positions vary.
Like the private sector, most increase with skill level and experience over time and typically
reflect a similar rate of pay.
Despite this, some argue that federal employees are underpaid.
What do you think?
Also, be sure to check out our other video called Most Dangerous Jobs!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!