FEDERAL WORKERS TO GET AVERAGE RAISES OF 4.6%

Federal employees will receive raises ranging from about 4.4 percent to 5.2 percent on Jan. 1, with a 4.86 percent boost to those working in the Washingtonbaltimore area under an order President Joe Biden signed late Friday.

The order applies to the large majority of the nearly 2.2 million executive branch employees, with amounts varying by local area. The overall average of 4.6 percent is the largest increase since 2002.

The raise technically applies only to white-collar employees below the senior levels paid under the General Schedule pay system. However, blue-collar federal employees, who fall under a different system, will again have their raises tied to those of white-collar employees in their area.

The largest raise, of 5.15 percent, will be paid to employees working in the Seattle area. The smallest, 4.37 percent, applies to employees outside the four dozen city areas that have their own rates.

The Washington-baltimore region encompasses those two cities, most of Maryland and Northern Virginia, and stretches into south-central Pennsylvania and eastern West Virginia.

The raises are being paid under an executive order because Congress did not specify a figure in a budget bill before adjourning.

Under the complex federal pay law, the president’s recommended figure is then paid by default. Biden had previously said he would divide a 4.6 percent average raise, with 4.1 percent paid across the board and the funds for the remainder paid in amounts that vary by locality. Friday’s order was needed to finalize the figures.