How many civilian federal government jobs are located in Washington, DC?
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About 186,500, as of July 2025. Federal jobs include work in a wide range of occupations, including roles such 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 24.4% of jobs based in the state. That’s about one in every four. The state accounts for 6.4% of the 2.93 million federal jobs nationwide.
186.5K
jobs in the federal government (July 2025)
24.4%
federal government share of all nonfarm jobs (July 2025)
In July 2025, there were 186,500 jobs in the federal government based in Washington, DC, a 3.3% decrease from the previous year. In November 2010 there was a peak of about 213,900 federal jobs in Washington, DC. Federal employment hit a low in Washington, DC in July 2025 at about 186,500.
As of July 2025, there were 186.5 thousand federal government jobs in Washington, DC.
Civilian federal government employees, January 2006 to July 2025
In July 2025, 24.4% of workers in Washington, DC were employed by the federal government. The capital’s share of federal employment peaked in August 2010 at 29.9%. It hit a low in January 2020 at 24.3% of all employment.
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As of July 2025, 24.4% of jobs in the US were in the federal government.
Civilian federal government share of nonfarm employment, January 1939 to July 2025
Based on the latest data from the Office of Personnel Management as of March 2025, there were 141,300 people in Washington, DC 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 Homeland Security accounted for 13.2% of the total, more than any other cabinet department or independent agency. In second, the Department of Justice accounted for 11.3% of the state’s federal employees. The Department of Defense was third accounting for 9.4%.
In March 2025, the Department of Homeland Security accounted for more federal workers than any other agency.
Civilian federal personnel, primarily in executive branch, as of March 2025
The March 2025 OPM data shows that Washington, DC outranks all states in federal employment, though the district’s share varies by federal agency. There were 17 cabinet departments or independent agencies employing more than 10,000 people nationwide. Of those, the State Department had the highest share of employees working in Washington, DC at 71.3%. The Department of Veterans Affairs had the lowest at 1.4%.
About 71.3% of State Department employees were based in Washington, DC in March 2025.
Percentage of civilian employees based in Washington, DC
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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.
