Federal Pay Differs From Private Sector

A new study by the Congressional Budget Office finds, federal pay and benefits do differ from those in the private sector. But how much depends on your level of education. Federal workers with only a high school degree earn 21 percent more than in the private sector. Pay for people with bachelors degrees is about the same. Those with advanced degrees earn about 23 percent less in the federal government. Overall, benefits for the federal government are higher than in the private sector. CBO says it tried to adjust the results for hard-to-define work factors such as motivation.