Federal Government Employees by State 2025

State	All Agencies↓	% of Total	Department of Defense	Annuitants	Annuitants Plus Employees
California	152,466	8.15	57,795	209,915	362,381
Virginia	144,295	7.72	88,915	162,892	307,187
District of Columbia	141,367	7.56	11,693	36,575	177,942
Texas	132,952	7.11	44,404	172,744	305,696
Maryland	120,705	6.45	42,469	162,053	282,758
Florida	89,504	4.79	29,793	178,212	267,716
Georgia	71,739	3.84	31,203	87,281	159,020
Pennsylvania	62,366	3.34	22,734	107,546	169,912
New York	60,727	3.25	9,714	90,647	151,374
Washington	53,211	2.85	27,918	68,707	121,918
Ohio	49,450	2.64	24,423	74,556	124,006
Illinois	44,760	2.39	11,961	68,828	113,588
North Carolina	42,772	2.29	19,312	78,061	120,833
Arizona	38,087	2.04	8,212	57,006	95,093
Oklahoma	37,486	2	22,886	46,560	84,046
Alabama	37,386	2	22,056	57,897	95,283
Colorado	36,848	1.97	10,596	50,869	87,717
Missouri	33,377	1.78	6,741	53,717	87,094
Michigan	27,405	1.47	8,565	45,727	73,132
Utah	26,109	1.40	14,611	34,155	60,264
New Jersey	24,758	1.32	9,718	51,992	76,750
Hawaii	23,453	1.25	18,135	21,975	45,428
Indiana	22,610	1.21	10,397	37,010	59,620
Kentucky	22,181	1.19	8,870	33,381	55,562
New Mexico	21,954	1.17	6,094	27,835	49,789
South Carolina	21,050	1.13	9,335	45,875	66,925
Louisiana	19,537	1.04	5,579	27,615	47,152
West Virginia	18,656	1	1,488	18,373	37,029
Mississippi	17,295	0.92	8,122	25,533	42,828
Oregon	17,252	0.92	2,596	34,293	51,545
Minnesota	16,795	0.90	2,021	30,007	46,802
Kansas	15,672	0.84	6,237	24,486	40,158
Wisconsin	14,045	0.75	2,155	27,516	41,561
Arkansas	12,557	0.67	3,124	24,432	36,989
Nevada	12,186	0.65	2,250	24,828	37,014
Maine	11,285	0.60	7,726	13,957	25,242
Nebraska	10,468	0.56	3,835	13,399	23,867
Alaska	10,398	0.56	4,483	8,192	18,590
Montana	8,589	0.46	1,184	13,670	22,259
Iowa	8,042	0.43	1,313	21,002	29,044
Connecticut	7,998	0.43	2,298	14,667	22,665
Idaho	7,731	0.41	1,253	15,704	23,435
South Dakota	7,547	0.40	1,193	10,570	18,117
Rhode Island	6,864	0.37	4,311	7,590	14,454
North Dakota	5,460	0.29	1,505	6,538	11,998
Wyoming	4,977	0.27	954	5,988	10,965
Vermont	4,845	0.26	506	4,588	9,433
New Hampshire	4,331	0.23	854	12,820	17,151
Delaware	3,039	0.16	1,250	10,823	13,862

Federal Workers by State

While many people believe that most federal workers live near the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., this is not always the case. While Virginia, the state closest to the District of Columbia, has the second-most federal employees, the most can be found in California with 152,466 federal employees. As of 2019 statistics, about 85% of federal employees work outside of Washington D.C. and over 35% live in rural areas.

Other states that have high numbers of federal employees include Maryland, Texas, Florida, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Ohio.

Federal Employment by Department

Department of Veterans Affairs

The largest department in the federal government is the Department of Veterans Affairs. This department comprises about 16% of the total federal government workforce. In total, there are 285,735 permanent employees currently working for this department.

Department of the Army, Navy, and Air Force

The following largest departments at the federal government level are the Army, Navy, and Air Force Departments. These are three different and independent offices that work together under the federal government umbrella. Currently, The Department of the Army is the largest with 244,891 employees, the Department of the Navy is the second largest with 191,403 employees and the Department of the Air Force is the smallest of the three with 167,877 employees.

Department of Homeland Security

One of the largest agencies under the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security is robust, holding more employees than the Department of the Air Force. In total, the Department of Homeland Security employs 172,848 total people.

Department of Justice

Moving into a different branch of the federal government, the Department of Justice is part of the Judicial branch. This department alone employs 113,490 employees at the federal government level. This includes correctional officers, criminal investigators, and attorneys.

Department of Treasury

With 108,110 permanent employees, the Department of Treasury is responsible for maintaining the investments, money, trusts, and interest rates throughout the country.

Department of Defense

Separate from the military branches and departments, the federal government also has a Department of Defense. This department employs 85,579 people at the federal government level.

Department of Agriculture

Although one of the smaller departments at the federal government level, this department performs a vital function to keep our plants, animals, and food sources healthy and well-provided. It is better known as the USDA. The Department of Agriculture employs 86,562 permanent workers and 21,729 temporary workers.

Department of Health and Human Services

Responsible for maintaining optimum health throughout the country, establishing systems, and implementing human services throughout the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services employs about 83,202 people, with 59,905 permanent workers.

Department of Transportation

The Department of Transportation helps maintain the airways, rails, roads, and bridges throughout the United States, ensuring tax money is well-allocated to appropriate projects to improve the overall infrastructure in the country. The Department of Transportation employs 56,508 people.

Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior helps manage the country’s natural resources, like the National Parks throughout the country. The Department of the Interior employs 58,416 people throughout the country.

Other Small Agencies and Departments

Several other small agencies make up the federal government, including the Department of State (22,120), the Department of Energy (15,936), the Department of Education(4,082), the Department of Commerce (41,103), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (9,442). Together, these agencies are made up of an additional 92,683 people working for the federal government. In total, there are more than 2.1 million federal government employees.