Federal Government Workers: Higher Wages and Better Benefits than Private Sector Workers | The Heritage Foundation

The federal government pays its employees substantially more than they would earn in the private sector. The current federal pay system:

* Pays hourly wages 22 percent above that of comparable private sector workers;
* Provides more generous health care and pension plans;
* Provides total compensation on the order of 30 percent to 40 percent above similarly skilled private sector workers; and
* Offers near-total job security and insulates federal employees from recessions."