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Charting America’s 2.1 Million Federal Workers
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Key Takeaways
- The federal workforce in 2025 is heavily concentrated in defense and veterans’ services, reflecting America’s commitment to national security.
- Most other departments employ smaller workforces, illustrating an uneven distribution of headcount across agencies.
The U.S. federal government employs over 2 million civilian workers across a wide range of departments and agencies. From defense to environmental oversight, these workers keep essential services running across the country.
In this graphic, we chart America’s federal workforce by major department, as of March 2025.
Data & Discussion
The data for this visualization comes from the Office of Personnel Management, accessed via USAFacts. It details the total number of civilian personnel employed by each U.S. federal department as of recent estimates.
| Department | Personnel |
|---|---|
| Department of Defense | 770,900 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 474,500 |
| Department of Homeland Security | 231,800 |
| Department of the Treasury | 116,100 |
| Department of Justice | 116,000 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 92,300 |
| Department of Agriculture | 90,800 |
| Department of the Interior | 63,800 |
| Department of Transportation | 57,200 |
| Social Security Administration | 56,300 |
| Department of Commerce | 47,400 |
| NASA | 18,000 |
| Department of Energy | 17,500 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 16,600 |
| State Department | 14,200 |
| Department of Labor | 14,100 |
| General Services Administration | 13,200 |
| All other agencies | 78,900 |
Majority of Federal Workforce in Defense & Security
Nearly half of America’s federal employees work in defense or veterans’ services. The Department of War (formerly Department of Defense) employs over 770,000 people, while the Department of Veterans Affairs follows with 474,500.
Note that these figures are specifically referring to federal civilian employees, meaning non-military personnel in administrative, engineering, or other support roles.
This concentration of labor underscores how deeply national security and veteran care are embedded in the structure of the federal government.
Fact: The U.S. has over 1 million active-duty military personnel, with the majority based in California, Virginia, and Texas.
Smaller Agencies Handle Wide Responsibilities
Looking elsewhere, most federal departments operate with relatively lean staffing.
For example, the Department of Energy, responsible for nuclear safety and energy research, employs just 17,500 workers. Even the State Department, which conducts foreign policy and represents the U.S. at the UN, has only 14,200 employees.
One agency that has seen significant cuts in 2025 is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has already lost 23% of its personnel (3,700 employees). It’s estimated that by the end of the year, 33% of the agency’s staff will be gone. A 2023 survey found that 55% of Americans had a favorable view of the EPA.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
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