Bush administration unveils 2002 pay increases

President Bush has issued an executive order outlining base and locality pay raises for General Schedule employees and members of the Senior Executive Service.

In the 2002 Treasury-Postal spending bill, Congress directed President Bush to give employees an average 4.6 percent pay raise. The administration decided to divide the raise between a 3.6 percent base pay increase for all employees and an average 1 percent locality pay adjustment that varies according to where employees work.

Employees in the San Francisco area will receive the largest total pay hike, 5.42 percent. Other metropolitan areas that will receive increases of more than 5 percent are Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and New York.

Employees in the Washington, D.C., area will receive a 4.77 percent increase. Employees in other cities will get a raise of at least 4.52 percent.

Locality-based raises became a fixture of federal pay in 1994, following implementation of the 1990 Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act. The act's proponents identified a gap between public and private sector salaries of about 30 percent. The act was designed to close the gap to about 5 percent, but raises under the law have never been fully funded.

Below are 2002 percentage salary increases by locality. For full 2002 pay tables, click here.

2002 Percentage Pay Raises, By Locality

Atlanta 4.63%
Boston 4.93%
Chicago 5.05%
Cincinnati 4.84%
Cleveland 4.70%
Columbus 4.63%
Dallas/Ft. Worth 4.72%
Dayton, Ohio 4.57%
Denver 4.93%
Detroit 5.04%
Hartford 4.94%
Houston 5.33%
Huntsville, Ala. 4.52%
Indianapolis 4.52%
Kansas City 4.52%
Los Angeles 5.12%
Miami 4.87%
Milwaukee 4.68%
Minneapolis/St. Paul 4.78%
New York 5.07%
Orlando 4.52%
Philadelphia 4.82%
Pittsburgh 4.54%
Portland 4.84%
Richmond 4.62%
Sacramento 4.78%
St. Louis 4.54%
San Diego 4.89%
San Francisco 5.42%
Seattle 4.84%
Washington, D.C. 4.77%

Rest of U.S. 4.52%