How many civilian federal government jobs are located in Iowa?
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About 18,000, as of July 2025. Federal jobs include work in a wide range of occupations, including roles as janitors, scientists, accountants, postal workers, elected officials, and many more. While enlisted troops are considered to be employed by the government, they are not considered civilians, and thus are not included in this figure. Federal jobs represent 1.1% of all nonfarm jobs in the state. That’s about one in every 90. The state accounts for 0.61% of the 2.93 million federal jobs nationwide.
18K
jobs in the federal government (July 2025)
1.1%
federal government share of all nonfarm jobs (July 2025)
In July 2025, there were 18,000 federal jobs in Iowa, a 2.2% decrease from the previous year. In May 2010, there were 22,300 federal jobs in the state, a recent high. Federal employment hit a low in Iowa in January 2019 at 17,200.
As of July 2025, there were 18 thousand federal government jobs in Iowa.
Civilian federal government employees, January 2006 to July 2025
In July 2025, 1.1% of nonfarm jobs in Iowa were in the federal government. The state’s share of federal employment peaked in May 2010 at 1.5%. It hit a low in January 2019 at 1.1% of all employment.
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As of July 2025, 1.1% of jobs in Iowa were in the federal government.
Civilian federal government share of nonfarm employment, January 2006 to July 2025
Based on the latest data from the Office of Personnel Management as of March 2025, there were 10,200 people in Iowa working in the executive branch of the federal government. This is primarily limited to those working in the executive branch and excludes some employees, including postal workers and enlisted military. It includes full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers. The Department of Veterans Affairs accounted for 46% of the total, more than any other cabinet department or independent agency. In second, the Department of Agriculture accounted for 19.8% of the state’s federal employees. The Department of Defense was third accounting for 14.5%.
In March 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs accounted for more federal workers in Iowa than any other agency.
Civilian federal personnel, primarily in executive branch, as of March 2025
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
