Data Source, Population, Coverage and Quality

Data Source

Most data for this survey are obtained from the Central Personnel Data File (CPDF), the automated personnel data system maintained by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Agencies not covered in the CPDF and not responding to this survey include:

1. Members and employees of Congress
2. Congressional Budget Office
3. General Accounting Office
4. U.S. Postal Service
5. Postal Rate Commission
6. Foreign Nationals (non U.S. Citizens employed overseas)

Also excluded from this survey are agencies exempt by law from personnel reporting including:

1. Defense Intelligence Agency
2. Central Intelligence Agency
3. National Security Agency
4. Defense National Imagery and Mapping Agency

Non CPDF agencies responding to this survey are:

1. Federal Reserve System Board of Governors
2. Library of Congress
3. Botanic Gardens
4. John C. Stennis Center for Public Service
5. Architect of the Capitol
6. Tennessee Valley Authority

Population

Table 2 presents employment and salary data by geographic area for five specific geographic cate-gories: (1) "All Areas" worldwide summary; (2) the total United States (all 50 States and the District of Columbia); (3) the Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV, Metropolitan Statistical Area including the District of Columbia; Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's Counties, Maryland; Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, King George Loudon, Prince William, Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park in Virginia; and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties in West Virginia; (4) U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, Johnston Atoll, Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands of the United States, Wake Island, Midway Island, Navassa Islands, and miscellaneous Pacific Islands such as Baker, Jarvis, Howland Islands, Kingman Reef, and Palmyra Atoll); and (5) foreign countries.

Data Coverage

This survey covers full time non postal civilian employees in the Federal workforce. Full-time employees are those people who work a regularly scheduled number of hours, usually 40 hours per week. Critical elements for this survey include pay plan, grade, step, salary, and geographic area. The pay plans are also grouped into three major pay system categories: General Schedule, Federal Wage Systems, and Other Acts and Administrative Determination.

Salaries are reported on an annualized basis. They are gross rate salaries including monies paid as locality adjustments and law enforcement officer (LEO) adjustments authorized under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990. Salaries do not take into account deductions such as: group life insurance; health benefits; Medicare; Federal Insurance Contribution Act (i.e., social security); retirement; Federal, State, and local taxes; charitable contri-butions; membership dues for employee organizations; United States savings bonds; etc. Excluded from salary data are premium pay for overtime, Sunday, holidays, or nightwork; expense payment for employees on travel status; extra pay for hazardous working conditions or post differentials to certain employees; awards; cost of living allowances; uniform expenses; and severance pay. Some of these pay categories are reported separately in Office of Personnel Management's annual Work Years and Personnel Costs survey.

Data Quality and Corrections

Data for this survey were obtained from the Central Personnel Data File (CPDF) and from a special survey covering nonparticipating agencies. Of the 1.85 million full time active employee records available for this survey, 1,223 or 0.07 percent were rejected for having unspecified or invalid work schedule, tenure, pay plan, grade, step, or salary.

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