How many people work for the federal government?
The federal government employed about 2.9 million people in 2025, making it the nation's 14th largest workforce.
As of August 2025, the federal government employed just under 3 million people.
Federal government employees work at departments or agencies in one of the three branches of government — executive, legislative, or judicial — under the executive branch. It’s the 14th-largest workforce in all industries nationwide.
When data tracking began in 1939, the federal workforce was less than one million. Federal employment numbers peaked at 3.4 million in May 1990 and the most recent low was in March 2014, with 2.7 million.
How has the federal workforce changed over time?
Between 1929 and 1945, the United States was grappling with the Great Depression and World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the New Deal in 1933, and over the next five years established numerous new federal agencies to give people aid, and work, and get the country out of the Great Depression. And these agencies required thousands to staff them. Some agencies created during this period are still around, such as the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
The federal government increased civilian hiring during WWII to support the war effort. By February 1943, more than 3 million people worked for the federal government — tripling the civilian workforce in three years.
Federal employment peaked in May 1990 at 3.4 million.
Monthly number of federal government employees, Jan 1939–Aug 2025
Employment spikes every 10 years as the government hires temporary workers to conduct the decennial census. During the 2020 census, the number of federal employees increased from 2.9 million in January to 3.2 million in August. By December 2020, it returned to 2.9 million.
Between January and August 2025, the number of federal employees fell by about 97,000 people.
What percent of the population works for the federal government?
By August 2025, there were 2.9 million federal jobs, or 1.8% of all employee jobs in the country. Besides temporary employment for the 2020 census, employment in federal jobs has been below 2% since January 2014.
The share of jobs nationwide held by federal workers peaked in November 1944 at 7.5%.
Less than 2% of jobs are in the federal government.
Monthly shares of total employment comprised by the federal government, Jan 1939–Aug 2025
Where do federal employees work?
According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the largest federal offices by civilian employment in September 2024 were all military programs under the Defense Department (772,549 people), the Department of Veterans Affairs (482,831), and the Department of Homeland Security (227,566). Around 96% of all federal workers were full-time employees.
Among agencies with at least 1,000 people, the National Labor Relations Board, National Credit Union Administration, Federal Trade Commission, and the US Agency for Global Media had the fewest employees, under 1,250 each.
People working in defense and for veterans make up over half of the federal workforce.
Executive branch civilian employment, by agency, September 2024
Which states have the most federal workers?
Unsurprisingly, Washington, DC, had the most federal employees (162,489) anywhere in the nation. They were 41.2% of DC’s workforce as of September 2024.
State-wise, most federal employees were in California (150,679), Virginia (147,358), and Maryland (144,497). Federal employees represented 0.8%, 3.3%, and 4.6% of these states’ total workforces.
High federal employment in Virginia and Maryland were due to their proximity to Washington, DC. In Virginia, the Navy (31.3%), Defense Department (19.5%), and Army (10.3%) employed the most people. In Maryland, the Department of Health and Human Services (28.2%), the Navy (12.0%), and the Army (10.0%) led the way.
About a quarter (25.6%) of California’s federal employees worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Navy (23.3%). The remaining 51.0% worked for other agencies.
In Washington, DC, 41.2% of residents work for the federal government, compared to 4.6% in Maryland.
Percentage of civilian workers employed by the federal government by state, Sept 2024
How do federal employment numbers compare to other industries?
The federal workforce’s size is comparable to the information industry (publishing, broadcasting, telecommunications), which also employs just under 3 million people.
The federal workforce is relatively small compared to the nation’s largest workforce: private education and health services (27.5 million), which includes private schools, colleges, universities and training centers as well as hospitals, ambulatory services, nursing care and social assistance.
Professional and business services is the country’s second-largest employer (22.5 million people), and leisure and hospitality is third (17.1 million).
In 2025, the federal government was the nation’s 14th-largest industry.
US industries by size of workforce, August 2025
The federal workforce is larger than the mining (609,000) and utilities (598,300) industries.
Does federal employment data include contractors?
Federal employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics excludes contractors. This is because contractors are employed by private companies that provide services to the government and are not employed by the government itself.
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