US Federal Workforce Shrinks to 60-Year Low Under Trump Administration

The U.S. federal workforce has reached its lowest point in 60 years, with approximately 2.7 million employees, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure represents an 11% reduction, totaling over 300,000 fewer workers, since President Trump began his second term in January 2025.

The most substantial cuts occurred during the initial year of Trump's second term, with federal employment numbers stabilizing in 2026. Active military personnel, numbering around 1.35 million, and approximately 100,000 intelligence agency employees are not included in these figures.

Federal employment typically surges during U.S. Census years, reaching 3.4 million in 2010 and nearly 3.2 million in 2020. However, in January 2025, prior to the significant reductions, federal employment had reached a 30-year non-Census high of over 3 million.

President Trump had campaigned on a promise to reduce the size of the federal government. As part of this initiative, Elon Musk was granted authority to oversee payroll purges to identify cost savings through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The workforce reductions impacted nearly every major federal agency, including the Departments of Education, Agriculture, and Housing and Urban Development. The Department of Homeland Security, however, saw minimal changes in staffing levels, aligning with the administration's anti-immigration policies.

The largest single-year reduction in civil servants in nearly 80 years occurred at the end of September 2025, when over 150,000 federal employees accepted government buyouts. Despite these extensive cuts, the government has not reported significant cost savings. In fact, the Treasury Department's analysis of daily spending figures indicates that the government spent nearly $244 billion on federal salaries during Trump's first year in office, a 3% increase compared to the same period under former President Joe Biden.