On Tuesday, The Asbury Park Press unveiled a massive new federal government salary database, shining a much-needed light on the “personal payroll of over one million federal workers.” The database includes fiscal year 2011 information on the names, job titles, base salaries, agencies, locations (including Texas) and the merit awards for approximately 70 percent of the federal workforce.
And already, the data is proving to be enlightening.
According to the database, one high-ranking employee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture earned a base salary of $179,700 and was also awarded a bonus of $62,895 that same year. Combined, this employee earned almost $250,000 in fiscal 2011. And of course, this doesn’t include the cost of any employee benefits or deferred compensation. Needless to say, the new data raises some serious questions about federal compensation packages.
While it’s yet unknown whether there are other similar examples in the database, it’s a safe bet that more information will surface in the days and months to follow.
Federal employees not included in the database are those “involved in security work, the FBI, CIA, Defense Department, nuclear materials, IRS, and jobs essential to national security” as well as employees of “the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, and independent agencies and commissions.”
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