As of early 2025, the United States federal government employs just over 3 million civilian federal employees. This includes about 600,000 U.S. Postal Service employees. If excluding Postal Service workers, the number of federal civilian employees is around 2.4 to 2.3 million. Additionally, there are about 1.3 million active-duty military personnel, who are typically not counted as civilian employees. Combining civilian employees and active-duty military gives a total federal workforce of roughly 4.3 million people on the government's direct payroll. The total federal civilian workforce slightly decreased to about 2,289,472 as of March 31, 2025, down from 2,313,216 in late 2024, reflecting some reductions under the current administration. The broader total of all federal employees including military and Postal Service is over 3 million people, consistent with recent years' numbers. In summary:
- Civilian federal employees (including USPS): just over 3 million
- Civilian federal employees (excluding USPS): about 2.3 to 2.4 million
- Active-duty military personnel: about 1.3 million
- Total federal workforce (civilian + military): roughly 4.3 million
This represents the largest federal workforce scale in decades, though recent efforts include reductions and hiring freezes that slightly tempered growth.
