500metrics

Current Employment Statistics (CES9091000001) · Federal government, seasonally adjusted

How many jobs are there in the federal government?

The number of jobs in the federal government was 2,682 thousand in the month ended , down 8.0% from a year earlier (preliminary).

Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month

January 1939 to September 2026Seasonally adjusted, as published

Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month (January 1939 to September 2026), recessions shaded
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month (September 2016 to September 2026), recessions shaded
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month (September 2024 to September 2026)

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .

Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)

January 1939 to September 2026Ours, from the published values

Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours) (January 1939 to September 2026), recessions shaded
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours) (September 2016 to September 2026), recessions shaded
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours) (September 2024 to September 2026)

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .

Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .

Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.

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Inspect and compare dates

The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".

MeasureLatestThe month beforeA year earlierFive years earlierTen years earlier
Month
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands2,682 thousand2,683 thousand2,914 thousand2,887 thousand2,806 thousand
Change over a year−8.0%−8.0%−3.3%−7.6%+1.7%

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

Observed .

Right now

The number of jobs in the federal government was 2,682 thousand in September 2026, the lowest since April 2026.

Over a year it is down 8.0% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.

See every month of the last ten years

ChangeOurs

PeriodThenChange
One month2,683 thousand in 0.0%
Three months2,685 thousand in −0.1%
Twelve months2,914 thousand in −8.0%
Five years2,887 thousand in −7.1%
Ten years2,806 thousand in −4.4%

In historyOurs

The number of jobs in the federal government of 2,682 thousand in was higher than in 293 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 1 and lower in 758.

Highest since : 3,435 thousand in . Lowest since : 912 thousand in .

AverageOurs

Average since : 2,689.0 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).

ComparedOurs

Over a year the number of jobs in the federal government is down 8.0%, which ranks 35 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.

The table sets the number of jobs in the federal government beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.

See every row of the ranking

Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

In August 2026 the survey counted, for federal government, 113 thousand job openings, 26 thousand hires, 15 thousand quits and 7 thousand layoffs and discharges.

Over a year the counts are job openings up 66.2%, hires up 18.2%, quits down 21.1% and layoffs and discharges down 12.5% (ours).

Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in federal government

August 2016 to August 2026Seasonally adjusted, as publishedNo picture is made of these rows; their numbers are in the table

Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in federal government, one row for each measure
  • Job openings11368 to 289
  • Hires2621 to 315
  • Quits159 to 81
  • Layoffs and discharges75 to 151

Each row is one measure of the second survey for federal government, in thousands over the last ten years, one month to a point, on one scale, with its newest value and its range printed beside it. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.

Observed .

See every measure with its change and record

Understanding the number of jobs in the federal government

Where it stands today

The number of jobs in the federal government was 2,682 thousand in September 2026.

What does the number of jobs in the federal government measure?

Federal government covers the civilian employees of the federal government, including the US Postal Service. Members of the military are not counted.

Read more

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs each month in a survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics, and publishes them in the Employment Situation report at the start of the next month. The count is all employees on payrolls, in thousands, seasonally adjusted.

What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, how the change over a year ranks among the lines of the jobs by industry page, the industry inside it with its own change over a year. For this industry it also shows the job openings, hires, quits and layoffs from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a second BLS survey, beside the count of jobs.

The numbers behind the chart

What was the number of jobs in the federal government in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1939
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, by month, newest first (Thousands of jobs; the change ours)
MonthValueChange over a year
2,682 thousand−8.0%
2,683 thousand−8.0%
2,686 thousand−8.5%
2,685 thousand−8.8%
2,685 thousand−9.0%
2,681 thousand−9.9%
2,682 thousand−10.2%
2,689 thousand−10.3%
2,685 thousand−10.8%
2,722 thousand−9.5%
2,733 thousand−9.2%
2,748 thousand−8.8%
2,914 thousand−3.3%
2,916 thousand−3.2%
2,935 thousand−2.4%
2,944 thousand−2.0%
2,952 thousand−1.6%
2,976 thousand−0.5%
2,988 thousand0.0%
2,997 thousand+0.6%
3,010 thousand+1.3%
3,009 thousand+1.5%
3,009 thousand+1.7%
3,013 thousand+1.9%
Show 96 more rows
MonthValueChange over a year
3,012 thousand+2.1%
3,011 thousand+2.2%
3,007 thousand+2.6%
3,005 thousand+2.7%
3,001 thousand+3.0%
2,992 thousand+3.0%
2,989 thousand+3.3%
2,980 thousand+3.2%
2,971 thousand+3.2%
2,964 thousand+3.1%
2,960 thousand+2.9%
2,956 thousand+3.0%
2,951 thousand+3.0%
2,946 thousand+3.0%
2,930 thousand+2.4%
2,925 thousand+2.5%
2,915 thousand+1.9%
2,904 thousand+1.3%
2,893 thousand+0.9%
2,887 thousand+0.5%
2,880 thousand0.0%
2,874 thousand−0.3%
2,877 thousand−0.4%
2,870 thousand−0.3%
2,865 thousand−0.8%
2,861 thousand−0.9%
2,862 thousand−1.0%
2,853 thousand−1.2%
2,862 thousand−0.8%
2,866 thousand−1.0%
2,867 thousand−0.6%
2,874 thousand−0.3%
2,879 thousand−0.2%
2,882 thousand−0.5%
2,889 thousand−0.1%
2,878 thousand−3.5%
2,887 thousand−7.6%
2,888 thousand−8.5%
2,892 thousand−0.6%
2,887 thousand+0.1%
2,886 thousand+0.3%
2,894 thousand+0.7%
2,885 thousand+0.3%
2,883 thousand+0.9%
2,884 thousand+1.0%
2,897 thousand+2.1%
2,892 thousand+1.8%
2,981 thousand+5.1%
3,123 thousand+9.5%
3,156 thousand+10.6%
2,908 thousand+2.8%
2,883 thousand+1.8%
2,876 thousand+1.7%
2,875 thousand+1.7%
2,876 thousand+2.3%
2,857 thousand+1.7%
2,855 thousand+1.7%
2,837 thousand+1.0%
2,842 thousand+1.2%
2,837 thousand+1.1%
2,852 thousand+1.7%
2,854 thousand+1.9%
2,829 thousand+1.1%
2,833 thousand+1.3%
2,829 thousand+1.3%
2,827 thousand+1.0%
2,811 thousand+0.7%
2,810 thousand+0.7%
2,808 thousand+0.5%
2,808 thousand+0.5%
2,809 thousand+0.6%
2,805 thousand+0.1%
2,805 thousand+0.2%
2,801 thousand0.0%
2,799 thousand−0.2%
2,798 thousand−0.2%
2,793 thousand−0.5%
2,800 thousand+0.1%
2,792 thousand−0.6%
2,790 thousand−0.8%
2,794 thousand−0.7%
2,794 thousand−0.7%
2,791 thousand−0.3%
2,802 thousand−0.1%
2,799 thousand−0.2%
2,802 thousand0.0%
2,806 thousand+0.2%
2,805 thousand+0.3%
2,808 thousand+0.6%
2,798 thousand+0.5%
2,810 thousand+1.0%
2,812 thousand+1.2%
2,813 thousand+1.5%
2,815 thousand+1.4%
2,798 thousand+1.2%
2,804 thousand+1.6%
How does it compare with the industries on the jobs by industry page?Ranked by the change over a year
Jobs in the federal government, in thousands beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, newest month of each, by the change over a year (ours); equal changes share a rank
SeriesMonthValueChange over a yearRank
Health care and social assistance23,959 thousand+2.2%1
Private education and health28,005 thousand+1.9%2
Utilities612 thousand+1.7%3
Construction8,364 thousand+1.3%4
Durable goods7,898 thousand+1.1%5
Professional, scientific, technical10,844 thousand+0.8%6
Accommodation and food services14,310 thousand+0.7%7
Goods-producing21,623 thousand+0.7%7
Other services6,039 thousand+0.6%9
Professional and business services22,482 thousand+0.6%9
Administrative, support, waste9,019 thousand+0.5%11
Private service-providing114,094 thousand+0.5%11
Total private135,717 thousand+0.5%11
Leisure and hospitality16,969 thousand+0.4%14
Wholesale trade6,078 thousand+0.4%14
Local government15,173 thousand+0.3%16
Manufacturing12,652 thousand+0.3%16
Mining and logging607 thousand+0.3%16
Service-providing137,421 thousand+0.3%16
Total nonfarm159,044 thousand+0.3%16
Retail trade15,480 thousand+0.2%21
Trade, transportation, utilities28,778 thousand+0.2%21
Mining, oil and gas extraction567 thousand+0.1%23
Private education4,046 thousand−0.1%24
Transportation and warehousing6,609 thousand−0.1%24
Management of companies2,620 thousand−0.3%26
State government5,472 thousand−0.5%27
Real estate, rental, leasing2,438 thousand−0.6%28
Government23,327 thousand−0.9%29
Nondurable goods4,754 thousand−0.9%29
Financial activities9,082 thousand−1.2%31
Finance and insurance6,645 thousand−1.4%32
Arts, entertainment, recreation2,659 thousand−1.6%33
Information2,739 thousand−4.2%34
Federal government2,682 thousand−8.0%35

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

Which industries are inside federal government?Newest month of each industry
The industries inside federal government, newest month of each: the count in thousands, its share of the page's industry and the change over a year (both ours); equal changes share a rank
IndustryMonthCountShareChange over a yearRank
Federal, except U.S. Postal Service2,083 thousand77.7%−10.3%1

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in federal government?Newest month of each measure
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in federal government, newest month of each measure, seasonally adjusted (Thousands (job openings at the end of the month; hires, quits and layoffs during it); rates in percent; the change over a year ours)
MeasureMonthCountRateChange over a yearWhere the count stands
Job openings113 thousand4.0%+66.2%the highest since July 2025
Hires26 thousand1.0%+18.2%the highest since June 2026
Quits15 thousand0.5%−21.1%the highest since May 2026
Layoffs and discharges7 thousand0.2%−12.5%the highest since November 2025

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite

What this number cannot tell you

  • BLS counts jobs, not people: a person with two jobs on two payrolls is counted twice. Farm jobs, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers and members of the military are not counted.
  • The count comes from a survey of employers, so each month's value carries sampling error. BLS revises each month twice in the two months after it is first published, and each February it benchmarks the series to a full count of jobs from unemployment insurance tax records and revises earlier values, so past values on this page can change.
  • BLS publishes this series from 1939.
  • The job openings, hires, quits and layoffs come from JOLTS, a separate survey of employers that BLS holds from December 2000 and publishes about a month after the payroll counts, so its newest month can be an earlier month than the count of jobs.
  • The counts of the industries inside it are shown in whole thousands, but BLS publishes those series to one decimal, so the changes, the ranks and the shares, which are ours and worked out from the values as BLS publishes them, can differ in their last place from those worked out from the values as shown.
  • The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.

Observed . Checked .

Observed .

How to cite this

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Federal government, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs are there in the federal government?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/federal-government.

Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-federal-government.csv

Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 18,401 bytes.

Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.

Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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