With over 2.1 million civilian employees and counting, the federal workforce is a vast and complex engine powering the nation, and new data reveals who they are, what they earn, and the powerful trends reshaping this critical sector from within.
Key Takeaways
- As of September 2023, the total federal civilian executive branch workforce stood at 2,109,770 employees, excluding U.S. Postal Service workers
- In fiscal year 2022, federal civilian employment grew by 2.1% to reach 2.92 million including postal workers
- The Department of Defense accounted for 52% of the federal civilian workforce in 2023, with approximately 775,000 non-postal employees
- In 2022, women made up 43.4% of the total federal workforce, totaling 920,000 employees
- The average age of federal civilian employees was 47.2 years in 2023
- Black or African American employees comprised 18.3% of federal workforce in 2022, about 390,000 people
- The average annual salary for federal civilian employees was $95,361 in 2023
- General Schedule locality pay averaged 21.31% above base in 2023
- Federal employee health insurance premiums averaged $142 biweekly for self in 2024 FEHB
- Federal voluntary turnover rate was 8.2% in FY2023
- Involuntary separations (reductions in force) affected 2,100 employees in 2022
- Federal hiring rate was 12.5% of workforce annually in 2023, totaling 265,000 new hires
- 35% bachelor's, 27% master's degrees among federal employees in 2023
- STEM occupations comprised 15% of federal workforce with 320,000 employees 2022
- 12% of feds held doctorate or professional degrees in FY2023
The federal workforce grew to over two million employees, led primarily by the Department of Defense.
Demographic Breakdown
- In 2022, women made up 43.4% of the total federal workforce, totaling 920,000 employees
- The average age of federal civilian employees was 47.2 years in 2023
- Black or African American employees comprised 18.3% of federal workforce in 2022, about 390,000 people
- Hispanic or Latino federal workers were 9.5% in 2023, totaling 200,000 employees
- Asian employees represented 6.8% of federal civilians in 2022, numbering 145,000
- White employees were 65.2% of the workforce in 2023, about 1.38 million
- Employees with disabilities were 16.8% under self-identification in FY2022
- Veterans aged 65+ were 12% of veteran federal employees in 2022
- In 2023, 34% of federal executives were women, up from 28% in 2010
- GS-13 to GS-15 levels had 52% men in 2022
- Federal workers under 30 years old were 7.2% in 2023, totaling 152,000
- Employees 60+ years comprised 19.5% of workforce in 2022, about 410,000
- Native American/Alaska Native employees were 1.8% in FY2022, 38,000 total
- Multiracial federal employees grew to 2.1% by 2023
- In SES, 39% were women and 18% minorities in 2022
- LGBTQ+ self-identified federal employees were 3.2% in 2021 FEVS survey
- In 2023, 25% of federal STEM workforce were women
- Black women held 11% of federal professional positions in 2022
- Average tenure of federal employees was 12.5 years in 2023
- Foreign-born federal civilians were 7.8% in 2022, about 165,000
- Union membership among federal workers was 62% in 2023
- In 2022, 44% of federal attorneys were women
- Military spouses in federal workforce were 5.2% self-identified in 2023
- Gen Z federal employees (born 1997+) were 4.5% in 2023
- Baby Boomers retiring pace averaged 40,000 per year 2020-2023
- In 2023, 28% of federal IT specialists were women
- Pacific Islander employees were 0.6% of workforce in FY2022
- Non-binary gender identified at 0.4% in FEVS 2022
Demographic Breakdown Interpretation
The federal workforce is a seasoned, unionized collective where diversity is making steady but deliberate progress, yet still mirrors a generational relay race where the baton is being passed with one eye on the demographic clock and the other on the retirement queue.
Education and Training
- 35% bachelor's, 27% master's degrees among federal employees in 2023
- STEM occupations comprised 15% of federal workforce with 320,000 employees 2022
- 12% of feds held doctorate or professional degrees in FY2023
- Mandatory training hours averaged 40 per employee annually in 2022
- IT specialists required 80 hours cybersecurity training yearly per FISMA 2023
- Leadership development programs enrolled 50,000 executives in 2023
- 65% of SES had advanced degrees in 2022
- Federal acquisition workforce training budget $300 million in FY2023
- Language skills training served 10,000 feds with DLPT certifications 2022
- Tuition assistance averaged $4,500 per employee for 40,000 in 2023
- OPM Enterprise Human Resources Integration trained 100,000 users 2023
- 22% of workforce had no college degree but vocational certs in 2022
- Diversity training mandatory for 1.5 million non-SES in FY2023
- Federal Academic Alliance partnerships trained 20,000 in STEM 2023
- Performance management training reached 80% compliance in 2022
- Supervisory training required 40 hours for new managers, 90% completion 2023
- Apprenticeship programs graduated 5,000 journeymen in FY2023
- Continuing professional education credits averaged 24 CPE for accountants 2022
- Emergency management training via FEMA for 200,000 feds yearly
- Data science bootcamps trained 8,000 analysts in 2023
- Ethics training 100% mandatory with 3 hours annual average 2023
- 45% of feds had security clearances requiring training refresh
- HHS learning management system courses completed 2 million in 2022
- DoD civilian training investment $1.2 billion for 750,000 employees 2023
- VA had 70% workforce with healthcare-related certifications 2023
- USDA agricultural specialists 80% with advanced ag degrees 2022
Education and Training Interpretation
The federal government is a highly educated, perpetually trained, and meticulously specialized machine where 35% hold bachelor's degrees and training ranges from mandatory ethics briefings to cybersecurity marathons, all while nearly a quarter of the workforce proves you can build a formidable public service engine with vocational certs instead of college sheepskins.
Employment Size and Growth
- As of September 2023, the total federal civilian executive branch workforce stood at 2,109,770 employees, excluding U.S. Postal Service workers
- In fiscal year 2022, federal civilian employment grew by 2.1% to reach 2.92 million including postal workers
- The Department of Defense accounted for 52% of the federal civilian workforce in 2023, with approximately 775,000 non-postal employees
- Federal workforce excluding DOD and postal service was 1.87 million in Q4 2023
- From 2019 to 2023, non-postal federal civilian employment increased by 7.4%, adding 152,000 jobs
- Veterans comprised 29.5% of the federal workforce in 2022, totaling about 580,000 employees
- In 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs employed 407,000 civilians, the second largest after DOD
- Federal employment in the Washington DC area was 298,000 in 2023, representing 14% of total civilian workforce
- Postal Service workforce was 614,000 in FY2023, down 4% from prior year
- Executive branch civilian full-time employees numbered 2.1 million in September 2023
- Legislative branch workforce totaled 31,000 in 2023
- Judicial branch federal employees were about 33,000 in FY2023
- Non-career Senior Executive Service (SES) positions grew to 8% of total SES in 2023
- Federal workforce in GS scale was 1.6 million in 2023, 76% of non-postal civilians
- Wage Grade (WG) federal employees numbered 190,000 in FY2023
- In 2022, Homeland Security had 240,000 civilians, third largest agency workforce
- Treasury Department civilian workforce was 105,000 in 2023
- Justice Department employed 113,000 civilians in FY2023
- Federal civilian employment peaked at 3 million including postal in 1990, now 32% lower
- Remote federal workers increased to 15% of workforce by 2023 post-pandemic
- In Q1 2024, total non-postal federal civilians at 2.12 million, up 0.5%
- Agriculture Department workforce was 98,000 in 2023
- Energy Department civilians numbered 15,000 direct employees plus contractors
- Interior Department had 70,000 employees in FY2023
- Transportation workforce was 55,000 civilians in 2023
- HHS employed 82,000 in 2023
- Education Department had 4,200 employees in FY2023
- NASA workforce was 18,000 civil servants in 2023
- EPA had 15,000 employees in 2023
- Small Business Administration workforce totaled 3,400 in FY2023
Employment Size and Growth Interpretation
While the headlines shout about 'bloated bureaucracies,' the reality is a surprisingly nimble and diverse 2.1 million person engine—powered overwhelmingly by career civil servants and veterans—that quietly runs everything from our parks and veterans' care to our space program, with its real size and shape constantly being misunderstood by the very debates it fuels.
Mobility and Turnover
- Federal voluntary turnover rate was 8.2% in FY2023
- Involuntary separations (reductions in force) affected 2,100 employees in 2022
- Federal hiring rate was 12.5% of workforce annually in 2023, totaling 265,000 new hires
- Retirement rate peaked at 5.8% of workforce in FY2022, 122,000 retirees
- Interagency mobility rate was 4.1% in 2023, with 87,000 transfers
- Direct hire authority used for 45,000 positions in FY2023
- Schedule A hiring for disabilities filled 7,500 jobs in 2022
- Attrition rate for new hires under 1 year was 10% in 2023
- SES turnover was 12% annually averaging 700 vacancies in 2022
- Reemployed annuitants numbered 20,000 in FY2023
- Internal promotions filled 40% of vacancies in 2023
- Time-to-hire averaged 120 days for competitive positions in 2022
- Recent graduate hiring program placed 15,000 in FY2023
- Pathways internship conversions to permanent were 70% in 2022
- Early retirement offers under VSIP accepted by 4,000 in 2023
- Grievances and appeals resolved 95% without MSPB in FY2022
- Probationary terminations were 1.2% of hires in first year 2023
- Detail assignments averaged 6 months for 50,000 employees yearly
- Overseas assignment turnover 15% higher than domestic in 2022
- STEM hiring surged 20% post-CHIPS Act with 10,000 placements 2023
- Diversity hiring targets met 85% via targeted outreach in FY2023
- Buyout offers accepted by 2,500 under workforce reshaping in 2022
- Temporary promotions lasted average 180 days for 30,000 feds 2023
- EOD (effective date of hire) delays averaged 45 days in 2023
- Return-to-service rehires were 25,000 annually post-retirement
- Agency-specific RIFs impacted 1,000 in VA reorganization 2023
Mobility and Turnover Interpretation
Amidst a steady churn of retirements and new faces, the federal workforce is a complex, breathing ecosystem where nearly as many people are moving through the door for coffee as are heading out for golf, all while the gears of hiring grind slowly and the internal ladder of promotion remains the most reliable elevator.
Pay and Benefits
- The average annual salary for federal civilian employees was $95,361 in 2023
- General Schedule locality pay averaged 21.31% above base in 2023
- Federal employee health insurance premiums averaged $142 biweekly for self in 2024 FEHB
- Thrift Savings Plan participation was 90% with average balance $167,000 in 2023
- Average federal retirement annuity was $35,000 annually for new retirees in FY2022
- GS-15 step 10 base pay was $176,458 nationwide in 2024
- FERS contribution rate is 4.4% employee + 5% agency automatic in 2023
- Paid leave for federal employees averages 26 days annual + 13 sick in 2023
- Overtime pay for WG employees averaged $5,200 per year in 2022
- SES average salary was $189,000 in 2023
- FEHB covers 8 million lives with average family premium $482 biweekly employer share 65%
- Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program enrolled 9 million in 2023
- Locality pay for San Jose-San Francisco highest at 47.14% in 2024 GS
- Average performance award was $1,200 for GS employees in FY2022
- CSRS retirees average $3,800 monthly vs FERS $1,800 in 2023 data
- Student Loan Repayment Program benefited 20,000 employees up to $10k/year in 2022
- Recruitment incentives averaged $15,000 for new hires in FY2023
- Retention allowances up to 25% salary paid to 5% of workforce in 2022
- FEGLI coverage averages $400,000 basic life insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts used by 25% of feds, averaging $1,500 FSAFEDS in 2023
- Transit benefits up to $315 monthly pre-tax in 2024
- Childcare subsidies averaged $5,000 per child for 10,000 feds in 2023
- Average QSI (Quality Step Increase) granted to 8% of workforce worth 3% pay bump
- Presidential Rank Awards totaled $3.2 million for 300 executives in 2022
- WG locality pay in DC area averaged 32% premium in 2023
- FERS supplement averages $900 monthly for early retirees under MRA
- Longevity pay phased out but legacy WG got average $2/hour extra
- Average federal pay raise was 4.6% in 2023 across scales
- New hire attrition incentives cost $500 million annually in 2022
- Telework saves feds $1 billion in commuting costs yearly per OPM 2023
- Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments up to $40,000 offered to 5,000 in 2023
Pay and Benefits Interpretation
The federal workforce operates on a deceptively simple bargain: a respectable but not extravagant average salary of $95,361 is the foundation for a comprehensive, often Byzantine, ecosystem of locality adjustments, retirement plans, health benefits, and niche incentives that together form a formidable—and occasionally bewildering—total compensation package designed to attract and retain talent in lieu of purely competitive cash.
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