What's a Contractor Worth?

The 100,000 government contractors working in Iraq are earning an average of $98,387 a year, according to a survey of about 2,000 contractors done by ClearanceJobs.com. The next highest-paid locations were Maryland at $78,422, Virginia with $76,500, Pennsylvania at $76,451, Washington at $73,428 and New York at $69,444.

Contractors in Iraq have seen a 6.4 percent salary increase over the last six months, however, compared to a 10 percent decrease for domestic contractors with security clearances. ClearanceJobs.com points out that the $98,387 figure does not include signing bonuses, tax-exempt status, and additional danger pay.

About 650 contractors have been killed in Iraq since 2003.--Karen Rutzick