Uncle Sam shelled out more bonuses in 2009

Federal employees received more merit pay last year than in 2008, but their bonuses still paled in comparison to those doled out on Wall Street, according to new data.

The Obama administration gave one in four government workers extra compensation in fiscal 2009, according to a June 10 story in Federal Times, based on information obtained from the Office of Personnel Management by Asbury Park Press. The New Jersey newspaper annually compiles federal compensation data and makes it available to the public through an online database.

The extra compensation for federal workers, which includes but is not limited to cash, totaled $408 million last year, with an average award of $1,137. The bonuses ranged from $25 to $94,200, with the highest amount going to a top foreign affairs officer at the State Department. Air traffic controllers were among those employees receiving the biggest sums, and more than $11 million went to senior executives in government, with an average individual award of $13,337. By comparison, investment banking firm Goldman Sachs gave out more than $16 billion in bonuses last year with an average individual payout of nearly $500,000.

The data covers 65 percent of the civilian workforce, and excludes employees from several agencies, including the Defense and Treasury departments, as well as the White House.

Among the highlights:

• 359,400 civilian employees received extra compensation in fiscal 2009.
• The average fiscal 2009 salary for senior executives was $163,449.
• The average fiscal 2009 salary for all federal employees was $72,200.
• The total 2009 bonus amount allocated to federal employees is $80 million more than the 2008 figure.
• Air traffic controllers at FAA snagged $31.4 million in extra compensation, the largest single amount of award money.
• Of 6,400 senior executives in government, 870 received bonuses last year.