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Presidents Pay Agent

Pay Disparities And Comparability Payments

Table 3, below, lists the pay disparity for each pay locality. Table 3 also derives the recommended local comparability payments under 5 U.S.C. 5304(a)(3)(I) for 2009 based on the pay disparities, and it shows the disparities that would remain if the recommended payments were adopted.

Table 3 includes the Buffalo locality pay area. Since data for Buffalo are still used as part of the salary survey data for the RUS locality pay area, we have adjusted the RUS area pay disparity to net out Buffalo. The adjusted RUS pay disparity is the original RUS disparity adjusted to remove Buffalo by weighting the individual location pay disparities by GS base payroll in each area and subtracting out Buffalo. The "RUS-adjusted disparity" column shows the adjusted RUS pay disparity.

The law requires comparability payments only in localities where the pay disparity exceeds 5 percent; the goal was to reduce local pay disparities to no more than 5 percent over a 9-year period (5 U.S.C. 5304(a)(3)(I)). The "Disparity to Close" shown in Table 3 represents the pay disparity to be closed in each area based on the 5 percent remaining disparity threshold. The "Locality Payment" shown in the table represents 100 percent of the disparity to close. The last column shows the pay disparity that would remain in each area if the indicated payments were made. For example, in Atlanta, the 42.79 percent pay disparity would be reduced to 5.00 percent if the locality rate were increased to 35.99 percent (142.79/135.99-1) X 100 = 5.00 percent).

The actual remaining pay disparity as of January 2009 may differ from the calculations for two reasons. First, Federal pay will have increased by the amount of the across-the-board increases that become effective in January 2008 and January 2009. Second, non-Federal pay will have increased by some amount from March 2007 to January 2009. For the purpose of this report, we assume that future changes in Federal and non-Federal pay will effectively cancel each other out and that the pay disparities will remain about the same.

Table 3.
Local Pay Disparities and 2009 Comparability Payments

Locality 1-Pay Disparity (percent) 2-RUS Adj. Disparity (percent) 3-Disparity to Close and Locality Payment (percent) 4-Remaining Disparity (percent)
Atlanta 42.7942.7935.995.00
Boston 51.6451.6444.425.00
Buffalo 37.1937.1930.665.00
Chicago 49.8749.8742.735.00
Cincinnati 31.7131.7125.445.00
Cleveland 39.3539.3532.715.00
Columbus 34.4234.4228.025.00
Dallas 43.6543.6536.815.00
Dayton 31.0831.0824.845.00
Denver 42.7842.7835.985.00
Detroit 44.8244.8237.925.00
Hartford 47.5247.5240.505.00
Houston 47.6947.6940.665.00
Huntsville 39.1739.1732.545.00
Indianapolis 30.4830.4824.275.00
Los Angeles 51.0951.0943.905.00
Miami 42.3342.3335.555.00
Milwaukee 37.0637.0630.535.00
Minneapolis 39.9539.9533.295.00
New York 57.7957.7950.285.00
Philadelphia 43.6043.6036.765.00
Phoenix 41.5541.5534.815.00
Pittsburgh 35.2835.2828.845.00
Portland 40.2440.2433.565.00
Raleigh 31.4931.4925.235.00
Richmond 32.2232.2225.925.00
Sacramento 46.3246.3239.355.00
San Diego 50.6650.6643.495.00
San Francisco 67.6367.6359.655.00
Seattle 46.3246.3239.355.00
Washington, DC 61.6461.6453.945.00
Rest of U.S. 29.6429.5723.405.00

Average Locality Rate

The average locality comparability rate in 2009, using the basic GS payroll as of March 2007 to weight the individual rates, would be 36.89 percent under the methodology used for this report (based on the disparity to close). The average rate authorized in 2007 was 16.88 percent. At this time, we do not know what locality rates will be approved for 2008. The locality rates included in this report would represent a 17.12 percent average pay increase over 2007 locality rates.

Overall Remaining Pay Disparities

The full pay disparities contained in this report average 43.73 percent using the basic GS payroll to weight the local pay disparities. However, this calculation excludes existing locality payments. When the existing locality payments (i.e., those paid in 2007) are included in the comparison, the overall remaining pay disparity as of March 2007 was (143.73/116.88-1) X 100, or about 22.97 percent. Table 4, below, shows the overall remaining pay disparity in each of the 32 approved locality pay areas as of March 2007.

Table 4.
Remaining Pay Disparities in 2007

Locality Pay Area Remaining Disparity
Atlanta 23.21%
Boston 25.35%
Buffalo 20.18%
Chicago 23.06%
Cincinnati 12.21%
Cleveland 20.17%
Columbus 16.89%
Dallas 22.42%
Dayton 14.71%
Denver 18.96%
Detroit 19.16%
Hartford 20.48%
Houston 16.61%
Huntsville 22.51%
Indianapolis 15.47%
Los Angeles 21.82%
Miami 20.31%
Milwaukee 18.63%
Minneapolis 18.43%
New York 26.67%
Philadelphia 20.82%
Phoenix 25.02%
Pittsburgh 18.50%
Portland 19.22%
Raleigh 13.18%
Richmond 15.57%
Sacramento 22.97%
San Diego 25.20%
San Francisco 28.62%
Seattle 23.39%
Washington, DC 36.30%
Rest of U.S. 15.03%
Average 22.97%