The Congressional Budget Office has released a report on compensation of federal government workers. It finds that compensation is 17 percent higher, on average, for federal civilian workers than for private sector workers, after adjusting for factors such as education levels.


The CBO found that federal wages were a little elevated, but that federal benefits were substantially higher than benefits in the private sector. Generally, less-skilled and medium-skilled workers do better on both wages and benefits in the government, but the highest-skilled workers do better on wages in the private sector.


Wages are 3 percent higher in the government than the private sector, on average, but the CBO finds substantial variation depending on education level:

  • Federal workers with no more than a high school education earned 34 percent more, on average, than similar workers in the private sector.
  • Federal workers whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree earned 5 percent more, on average, in the federal government than in the private sector.
  • Federal workers with a professional degree or doctorate earned 24 percent less, on average, than their private-sector counterparts.

Benefits are 47 percent higher in the government, on average, but there is variation as follows:

  • Average benefits were 93 percent higher for federal employees with no more than a high school education than for their private-sector counterparts.
  • Average benefits were 52 percent higher for federal employees whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree than for similar private-sector employees.
  • Among employees with a doctorate or professional degree, by contrast, average benefits were about the same in the two sectors.

The Trump administration and Congress should try to bring federal pay and workplace conditions in line with the rest of the nation. Reforms should include cutting the overly generous federal benefits package and reducing the hurdles to firing poorly performing federal workers.


For further analysis on federal wages, benefits, and firing, see here.