FORGET THE GENDER GAP, THE REAL ISSUE IS THE FEDERAL PAY GAP: Federal Employees’ Wages Growing Faster Than Everybody Else’s. “Federal civilian workers had an average wage of $84,153 in 2014, compared to an average in the private sector of $56,350. The federal advantage in overall compensation (wages plus benefits) is even greater. Federal compensation averaged $119,934 in 2014, which was 78 percent higher than the private-sector average of $67,246.”