Survey Analysis (See Appendix A for Graphic Presentations)

The survey population studied in this publication includes all full time non postal Federal employees. We have provided analysis of the survey data in the form of tables and graphic representations according to the following groupings: Pay Plan, Major Geographic Area, Average Salary, the General Schedule, Foreign Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs Pay Systems, Executive Schedule and Senior Executive Service, Other Pay Plans, and Special Salary Rates.

Pay Plan

As of March 31, 2004, total employment was 1,744,758 down 9,845 from the previous year. Figure 1 illustrates the employment distribution as follows: General Schedule 1,244,413 or 71.3 percent; Federal Wage System 184,087 or 10.6 percent; and pay systems under Other Acts and Administrative Determination 316,258 or 18.1 percent.

Major Geographic Areas

Figure 2 shows that most (96.9 percent) of the Federal civilian workforce covered by this survey was employed in the United States. The remainder worked in U.S. territories (12,608 or 0.7 percent) or foreign countries (41,616 or 2.4 percent).

Table 15 shows that among States, the District of Columbia had the largest number of full time Federal civilian employees (150,631 or 8.9 percent), while Delaware had the smallest Federal civilian employment population (2,583 or 0.1 percent).

Employment in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) accounted for 84.6 percent (1,475,740) of full time employment. The Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV, Metropolitan Statistical Area had the largest number of Federal civilian employees: 279,682 or 16.0 percent.

There are 19 Metropolitan Statistical Areas defined as Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSA's); Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV CMSA had the largest full-time Federal workforce (313,455) with an average adjusted basic salary of $77,057. The CMSA with the second largest full-time workforce was NY-Northern NJ-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA (63,180) with an average adjusted basic salary of $64,275. Table 16 illustrates additional CMSA and MSA salary data.

Average Salaries

Population salaries used in this publication are "adjusted basic salaries" which is an individual's annualized base pay plus any locality pay adjustment.

Overall, the average salary for full time employees was $60,517. Average (mean) salaries by major geographic areas were: United States $60,772; the Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV, Metropolitan Statistical Area $78,593; Foreign Countries $54,926; and U.S. Territories $44,832. Average salaries by major pay system were: General Schedule $59,593. Federal Wage System $42,096; and Other Acts and Administratively Determined Pay Systems $74,876. Figures 3 and 4, along with Table 2, show more extensive average salary data.

General Schedule

General Schedule (GS and GM) employment (1,244,413) increased by 1,771 workers or 0.1 percent since March 31, 2003. Nine grades (GS-7 through GS-9, and GS-12 through GS-15) had a combined increase of 10,106 workers, while six grades (GS-1 through GS-6, and GS-10 through GS-11) had a combined loss of 8,335. Most of the decline in employees was concentrated in GS-1 through GS-6 (staffed mostly by technical and clerical workers) while the remaining employees was at the GS-9 grade (primarily staffed with administrative and professional workers). Figure 5 provides a chart and table reflecting these changes.

Foreign Service and Department of Veterans Affairs Pay Systems

Table 8 shows that there were 3,832 Foreign Service Officers with an average salary of $93,594, and 9,367 Foreign Service Personnel with an average salary of $62,333 as of March 31, 2004.

Department of Veterans Affairs pay systems listed below had the following employment and average salaries:

PPhysicians and Dentists (VM) were authorized increased special pay allowances in 1991 under section 7431 of Title 38, United States Code (U.S.C.) This special pay is not part of their basic pay and is not included in the average pay calculation shown above. The Nurses pay system (VN) was changed from a nationwide to a locality based system in 1991, and the average salaries above reflect that locality pay.

Executive Schedule and Senior Executive Service

Executive Schedule (EX) employment totaled 470 with an average salary of $141,820 as of March 31, 2004.

Employment in the Senior Executive Service (SES) totaled 7,038 with an average salary of $141,554.

Other Pay Plans

In Tables 13 and 14, we refer to some senior pay level pay plans. These pay plans include ST (authorized under section 3104 of Title 5, U.S.C. for specially qualified scientific and professional personnel) and SR (statutory rates not elsewhere classified). The AD pay plan discussed later under Federal Pay Systems in Appendix C also contains some highly paid employees. Information on other senior pay plans, such as AL, CA, ES, EX, FA, FE, and SL, is presented in Appendix C.

Special Salary Rates

The Office of Personnel Management has the authority to establish special rates of pay under section 5305 of Title 5, U.S.C., and has oversight authority for certain special rates authorized under Title 38 U.S.C. for GS and GM employees. Special salary rates can be set for white collar positions where Federal agencies have difficulty recruiting and/or retaining qualified personnel in certain occupations, grades, and locations. Under Title 5, U.S.C. minimum special rate salaries may be no more than 30 percent above the General Schedule step 10 salary for each particular grade.

As of March 2004, there were 194,844 white collar workers being paid special rate salaries (170,807 Title 5 and 24,037 Title 38). The white collar special pay rate workforce was distributed as follows: Professional (28.3 percent), Administrative (33.2), Technical (16.9 percent), Clerical (8.8 percent), and Other (12.7 percent).

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