Federal employee salaries lag private sector by 27 percent on average, report says

Blank U.S. Treasury checks are seen on a roll at the Philadelphia Financial Center, which disburses payments on behalf of federal agencies, in Philadelphia. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Federal employee salaries on average are nearly 27 percent below those of their private-sector counterparts, a difference that narrowed over the past year for no readily apparent reason, an advisory council reported Tuesday.

The “pay gap” number, released at a meeting of the Federal Salary Council, is based on Labor Department data on salaries in a range of occupations, levels and local areas. Federal employee unions and other organizations commonly cite the number in seeking substantial federal pay raises, though in practice, the annual increases have been much smaller.