1.9 Million Federal Workers Average $120,000 Per Year

Earlier this week, Obama made a big deal about his decision to reduce federal workers' cost-of-living pay hikes by a mere four tenths of one percent, from 2.4% to 2%. The president neglected to mention one or two little related facts of interest, brought out in an editorial in Investor's Business Daily, including that 1.9 million federal workers earn an average of $120,000 per year, almost double what is earned by their counterparts in the private sector:

According to the Cato Institute, average per-employee wages are far higher among federal civilian workers than private-sector workers. That gap is even wider, almost double, when total compensation, which includes health care and other benefits, is included.

State and local workers aren't doing too badly either. USA Today pointed out that:

Overall, total compensation for state and local workers was $39.25 an hour — $11.90 more than in private business. In 2007, the gap in wages and benefits was $11.31.

Across the nation, state budgets are going belly up, with 43 states facing shortfalls in 2009, and taxpayers are being driven to the wall. Of those enormous state budgets, 50% goes to pay state workers and, of that 50%, about one third pays worker benefits.

For every $1-an-hour pay increase [since 2002], public employees have gotten $1.17 in new benefits. Private workers have gotten just 58 cents in benefits for every $1 raise. The difference: Companies have ended most traditional pension plans and increased workers' share of health care costs. Government paid an average of $8,800 annually toward employee medical insurance. Private companies paid $4,100.

It's nice to know that those friendly folks at the IRS and the Green Jobs Commissariat will continue to enjoy good salaries and health care security, isn't it?
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