Tens of thousands of federal retirees collect six-figure pensions

More than 21,000 former federal employees are collecting at least $100,000 annually, according to a new report from USA Today.

The six-figure pension earners, who will receive the retirement salary for the rest of their lives, worked in positions throughout the federal government. The most common retirees to receive the high pension are former law enforcement officials and postal workers.

The report compared the figures to the New York state government, which pays 0.2 percent of its retirees $100,000, compared to 1.2 percent of former federal workers. Four-tenths of one percent of New Jersey state government retirees receive pensions eclipsing six figures.

The average federal pension is $32,824 annually, compared to $24,373 for state and local retirees and $18,250 for ExxonMobil, which offers one of the best private-sector pension plans, according to USA Today.

Julie Tagen, legislative director of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, told the paper it is still a small proportion of retired feds who earn more than $100,0000. "These people are highly trained, highly skilled and often put their lives on the line in law enforcement," she was quoted as saying. In 2011, the federal government spent $70 billion on pensions.

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