Show Me the Money
July 31, 2009
Avue Technologies compared the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Human Capital Survey results with the unrelated ranking of the best places to work by the Partnership for Public Service to see if there could be a correlation between job satisfaction and salary - and to then see how it translates to organizational effectiveness. The result: Money talks.
You can read the Linda E. Brooks Rix Op-ed on the Federal Computer Week web site here.
Click here to see rankings by salary.
| Agency | Survey Rank |
2009 | Avg Salary | Salary Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight | 43 | 59.40 | $135,698 | 1 |
| Federal Housing Finance Board | 39 | 62.20 | $135,246 | 2 |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | 19 | 66.20 | $135,099 | 3 |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | 8 | 75.20 | $129,009 | 4 |
| Office of the U.S. Trade Representative | 9 | 74.20 | $113,633 | 5 |
| Federal Labor Relations Authority | 58 | 19.50 | $111,267 | 6 |
| National Transportation Safety Board | 7 | 76.10 | $110,890 | 7 |
| Merit Systems Protection Board | 11 | 73.50 | $110,392 | 8 |
| Surface Transportation Board | 2 | 80.40 | $110,057 | 9 |
| Federal Trade Commission | 10 | 73.70 | $108,501 | 10 |
| Overseas Private Investment Corporation | 3 | 80.00 | $108,196 | 11 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 12 | 71.70 | $107,702 | 12 |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | 1 | 80.70 | $107,568 | 13 |
| Federal Communications Commission | 53 | 55.00 | $107,520 | 14 |
| National Science Foundation | 5 | 76.70 | $107,090 | 15 |
| Office of Management and Budget | 4 | 79.40 | $105,014 | 16 |
| U.S. International Trade Commission | 22 | 68.80 | $101,481 | 17 |
| Export-Import Bank of the United States | 26 | 66.00 | $100,521 | 18 |
| Agency for International Development | 23 | 67.70 | $100,421 | 19 |
| Federal Maritime Commission | 6 | 76.60 | $99,290 | 20 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 14 | 68.20 | $98,885 | 21 |
| National Labor Relations Board | 47 | 57.30 | $98,265 | 22 |
| Department of Energy | 36 | 63.00 | $97,126 | 23 |
| National Credit Union Administration | 42 | 60.10 | $97,104 | 24 |
| Department of the Interior | 40 | 61.10 | $96,698 | 25 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | 44 | 58.20 | $94,894 | 26 |
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | 27 | 64.50 | $94,172 | 27 |
| Department of Commerce | 18 | 66.50 | $93,312 | 28 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 38 | 62.30 | $91,437 | 29 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | 45 | 58.00 | $91,088 | 30 |
| Department of Education | 49 | 56.40 | $89,978 | 31 |
| Federal Election Commission | 52 | 55.70 | $89,691 | 32 |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | 57 | 43.80 | $89,056 | 33 |
| Department of Transportation | 54 | 52.20 | $87,850 | 34 |
| National Endowment for the Arts | 21 | 72.70 | $86,569 | 35 |
| Department of State | 13 | 69.10 | $85,680 | 36 |
| Selective Service System | 56 | 44.80 | $85,276 | 37 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | 35 | 63.20 | $85,075 | 38 |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 46 | 57.60 | $82,904 | 39 |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | 25 | 66.40 | $82,121 | 40 |
| General Services Administration | 16 | 67.50 | $82,081 | 41 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | 24 | 66.70 | $80,280 | 42 |
| Department of Labor | 34 | 63.20 | $79,895 | 43 |
| Department of Justice | 15 | 68.00 | $77,313 | 44 |
| Department of Agriculture | 41 | 60.60 | $74,921 | 45 |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | 29 | 64.10 | $72,917 | 46 |
| Small Business Administration | 48 | 56.50 | $71,251 | 47 |
| Department of the Navy | 30 | 63.70 | $70,302 | 48 |
| Department of Homeland Security | 50 | 56.20 | $69,548 | 49 |
| Social Security Administration | 17 | 67.00 | $67,381 | 50 |
| Office of Personnel Management | 37 | 62.70 | $64,668 | 51 |
| Department of the Treasury | 33 | 63.30 | $63,363 | 52 |
| Department of the Air Force | 31 | 63.60 | $63,239 | 53 |
| Department of the Army | 28 | 64.50 | $62,614 | 54 |
| National Archives and Records Administration | 51 | 56.00 | $54,657 | 55 |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | 55 | 49.20 | $54,537 | 56 |
| Department of Defense | 32 | 63.60 | $51,981 | 57 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 20 | 66.00 | $51,570 | 58 |
| Government-Wide, Average Salary | $69,409 |
| % of Agencies Above $95,000 in Average Salary in Top 20 | 90.00% |
| % of Agencies Above $95,000 in Average Salary in Bottom 38 | 28.95% |
| Agency | Survey Rank |
2009 | Avg Salary | Salary Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | 1 | 80.70 | $107,568 | 13 |
| Surface Transportation Board | 2 | 80.40 | $110,057 | 9 |
| Overseas Private Investment Corporation | 3 | 80.00 | $108,196 | 11 |
| Office of Management and Budget | 4 | 79.40 | $105,014 | 16 |
| National Science Foundation | 5 | 76.70 | $107,090 | 15 |
| Federal Maritime Commission | 6 | 76.60 | $99,290 | 20 |
| National Transportation Safety Board | 7 | 76.10 | $110,890 | 7 |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission | 8 | 75.20 | $129,009 | 4 |
| Office of the U.S. Trade Representative | 9 | 74.20 | $113,633 | 5 |
| Federal Trade Commission | 10 | 73.70 | $108,501 | 10 |
| Merit Systems Protection Board | 11 | 73.50 | $110,392 | 8 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 12 | 71.70 | $107,702 | 12 |
| Department of State | 13 | 69.10 | $85,680 | 36 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 14 | 68.20 | $98,885 | 21 |
| Department of Justice | 15 | 68.00 | $77,313 | 44 |
| General Services Administration | 16 | 67.50 | $82,081 | 41 |
| Social Security Administration | 17 | 67.00 | $67,381 | 50 |
| Department of Commerce | 18 | 66.50 | $93,312 | 28 |
| Securities and Exchange Commission | 19 | 66.20 | $135,099 | 3 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 20 | 66.00 | $51,570 | 58 |
| National Endowment for the Arts | 21 | 72.70 | $86,569 | 35 |
| U.S. International Trade Commission | 22 | 68.80 | $101,481 | 17 |
| Agency for International Development | 23 | 67.70 | $100,421 | 19 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | 24 | 66.70 | $80,280 | 42 |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | 25 | 66.40 | $82,121 | 40 |
| Export-Import Bank of the United States | 26 | 66.00 | $100,521 | 18 |
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | 27 | 64.50 | $94,172 | 27 |
| Department of the Army | 28 | 64.50 | $62,614 | 54 |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | 29 | 64.10 | $72,917 | 46 |
| Department of the Navy | 30 | 63.70 | $70,302 | 48 |
| Department of the Air Force | 31 | 63.60 | $63,239 | 53 |
| Department of Defense | 32 | 63.60 | $51,981 | 57 |
| Department of the Treasury | 33 | 63.30 | $63,363 | 52 |
| Department of Labor | 34 | 63.20 | $79,895 | 43 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities | 35 | 63.20 | $85,075 | 38 |
| Department of Energy | 36 | 63.00 | $97,126 | 23 |
| Office of Personnel Management | 37 | 62.70 | $64,668 | 51 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 38 | 62.30 | $91,437 | 29 |
| Federal Housing Finance Board | 39 | 62.20 | $135,246 | 2 |
| Department of the Interior | 40 | 61.10 | $96,698 | 25 |
| Department of Agriculture | 41 | 60.60 | $74,921 | 45 |
| National Credit Union Administration | 42 | 60.10 | $97,104 | 24 |
| Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight | 43 | 59.40 | $135,698 | 1 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission | 44 | 58.20 | $94,894 | 26 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | 45 | 58.00 | $91,088 | 30 |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 46 | 57.60 | $82,904 | 39 |
| National Labor Relations Board | 47 | 57.30 | $98,265 | 22 |
| Small Business Administration | 48 | 56.50 | $71,251 | 47 |
| Department of Education | 49 | 56.40 | $89,978 | 31 |
| Department of Homeland Security | 50 | 56.20 | $69,548 | 49 |
| National Archives and Records Administration | 51 | 56.00 | $54,657 | 55 |
| Federal Election Commission | 52 | 55.70 | $89,691 | 32 |
| Federal Communications Commission | 53 | 55.00 | $107,520 | 14 |
| Department of Transportation | 54 | 52.20 | $87,850 | 34 |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | 55 | 49.20 | $54,537 | 56 |
| Selective Service System | 56 | 44.80 | $85,276 | 37 |
| Broadcasting Board of Governors | 57 | 43.80 | $89,056 | 33 |
| Federal Labor Relations Authority | 58 | 19.50 | $111,267 | 6 |
The following agencies were removed from this report because salary information is not publicly available for these agencies: Government Accountability Office, Intelligence Community, Federal Energy Regulation Commission
Sources: Survey Rank is based on the rank by the Partnership for Public Service using the US Office of Personnel Management's Federal Human Capital Survey results.
Average Salary is based on 2008 average salary data provided by FedScope, a US Office of Personnel Management database of all Federal agency workforce data.
