The U.S. federal civilian workforce is the country’s largest employer. Here’s who these workers are:
How many people does the government employ?
The U.S. government employs about 2.3 million civilian workers, according to the White House personnel office.
That workforce has grown 7% since 2019 as Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration hired construction managers, engineers and other experts to oversee big projects authorized by the 2022 infrastructure package, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
The size of the workforce has remained steady at about 0.6% of the U.S. population since 2010, the nonprofit group says. That’s smaller than in decades past, when federal workers equaled 1% of the population in the 1960s and more than 2% in the 1940s.
Who are these workers?
Federal workers tend to be older: 42.5% are over 50 years old, compared to 33.2% of U.S. workers overall, according to the Partnership for Public Service.
Federal workers likewise are more educated: 54% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with 40% of U.S. workers overall.
