Charted: America’s 2.1 Million Federal Workers

Charting America’s 2.1 Million Federal Workers

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

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.

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

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Government Debt to GDP Around the World in 2025 on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-americas-2-1-million-federal-workers/