Records analyzed
13 sub-agencies
Cross-joined with state geography and occupational mix
OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce
Department of Homeland Security
Headcount, average pay, length of service, sub-agencies, and hiring trends for Department of Homeland Security, drawn directly from the OPM FedScope federal workforce dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Department of Homeland Security is one of the largest federal employers: 231,771 employees (10.1% of the federal civilian workforce) across 51 states (including DC). At an average salary of $103,913 it pays near the federal average of $109,869, and headcount grew 1.8% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 231,771
- Share of workforce
- 10.1%
- Avg salary
- $103,913
- States present
- 51
Federal workforce data for Department of Homeland Security. This agency represents 10.1% of the total federal civilian workforce. Source: OPM FedScope, March 2025.
What the Numbers Say About Department of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security employs 231,771 federal civilian workers, which accounts for 10.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 reported in the OPM FedScope March 2025 release. Compared to the prior period, headcount moved up by 1.8%, a signal that hiring authorities and attrition at this agency are adding net positions during the current reporting window.
Average length of service at Department of Homeland Security is 11.8 years, spread across its 13 sub-agencies, a retention signal: longer-tenured workforces tend to hold deeper institutional knowledge, while shorter tenure points to faster cycling through early-career hires. For applicants weighing federal employers, that tenure pattern is as telling as headline pay (how this agency's salary compares to the federal average is broken down in Salary Analysis below).
Geographic reach is another signal of scale: Department of Homeland Security has employees in 51 states (including DC), with the largest concentration in TEXAS (34,141 employees at $98,317 avg salary). Over the most recent 12 months of workforce-dynamics data, the agency recorded 25,896 accessions against 16,283 separations for a net change of +9,613 positions, useful context for job seekers evaluating whether Department of Homeland Security is expanding, contracting, or simply replacing departures. All figures draw directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes and update semi-annually (March and September).
Workforce Overview
Employees
231,771
Very large employer
+1.8% from prior period
Average Salary
$103,913
Near federal average
+1.6%
Avg Length of Service
11.8 yrs
Average tenure
Sub-agencies
13
Data vintage
March 2025
OPM FedScope semi-annual snapshot
Source authority
OPM FedScope
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, official federal HR data
Department of Homeland Security pay vs. federal civilian average
Agency average $103,913 relative to federal average $109,869
Federal General Schedule pay-grade distribution
The federal civilian workforce concentrates in the GS-11 to GS-13 grades. These are the actual federal-wide General Schedule employee counts from OPM FedScope, per-agency grade breakdowns are not published in the public extract, so this shows the national distribution Department of Homeland Security hires into rather than a modelled per-agency estimate.
National General Schedule grade distribution - 1,517,243 GS employees.
Salary Analysis
How Department of Homeland Security pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Workforce by pay band
How Department of Homeland Security's 231,771 employees split across salary ranges (sub-agency averages).
- $80k–$100k: 92,034 (40%)
- $100k–$120k: 100,423 (43%)
- $120k–$150k: 35,234 (15%)
- $150k+: 4,080 (2%)
Agency Average
$103,913
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-5.4%
Where Department of Homeland Security ranks on pay
Ranked by agency (not weighted by headcount), its average salary of $103,913 is higher than 12% of the 115 federal agencies (14 pay less on average). Smaller specialized agencies often post higher per-employee averages than large ones like Department of Homeland Security, so this agency-count rank can differ from a comparison to the government-wide, employee-weighted average shown above. The highlighted bar marks where Department of Homeland Security sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 115 federal agencies; Department of Homeland Security ranks higher than 12%.
Salary Range by Sub-agency
Under $80K
0
$80K–$100K
92,034
$100K–$120K
100,423
$120K–$150K
35,234
Over $150K
4,080
Sub-agencies & Organizational Units
Department of Homeland Security has 13 sub-agencies. The highest-paying unit averages $167,174.
| Sub-agency | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customs and Border Protection | 66,839 | $110,800 | 13.9 yrs |
| Transportation Security Administration | 66,112 | $80,363 | 10 yrs |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | 25,922 | $98,820 | 7.2 yrs |
| Citizenship and Immigration Services | 22,636 | $109,886 | 12.2 yrs |
| Immigration and Customs Enforcement | 20,692 | $124,469 | 14.9 yrs |
| U.S. Coast Guard | 9,583 | $109,848 | 12 yrs |
| U.S. Secret Service | 8,148 | $121,338 | 12.2 yrs |
| DHS Headquarters | 5,608 | $143,747 | 13 yrs |
| Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency | 3,323 | $150,085 | 11 yrs |
| Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers | 1,365 | $113,083 | 17.2 yrs |
| Office of the Inspector General | 786 | $144,911 | 16.2 yrs |
| Science and Technology Directorate | 534 | $167,174 | 14.2 yrs |
| Domestic Nuclear Detection Office | 223 | $166,495 | 12.9 yrs |
Geographic Presence
Department of Homeland Security has employees in 51 states (including DC). TEXAS has the most with 34,141 employees.
| State | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | 34,141 | $98,317 | 12.1 yrs |
| CALIFORNIA | 24,698 | $107,585 | 11.9 yrs |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 18,698 | $142,483 | 12.9 yrs |
| FLORIDA | 17,089 | $90,492 | 11.5 yrs |
| VIRGINIA | 16,974 | $126,207 | 12.2 yrs |
| NEW YORK | 12,706 | $102,910 | 11.8 yrs |
| ARIZONA | 9,701 | $95,669 | 11.6 yrs |
| MARYLAND | 8,303 | $123,123 | 12.8 yrs |
| GEORGIA | 7,432 | $97,428 | 12.2 yrs |
| ILLINOIS | 5,305 | $96,968 | 11.3 yrs |
| NEW JERSEY | 5,068 | $109,138 | 12.5 yrs |
| WASHINGTON | 5,011 | $102,010 | 11.4 yrs |
| MICHIGAN | 4,395 | $101,837 | 12.9 yrs |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 3,954 | $96,487 | 11 yrs |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 3,724 | $86,323 | 10.4 yrs |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 3,517 | $98,426 | 9.9 yrs |
| COLORADO | 3,222 | $96,203 | 9.1 yrs |
| MISSOURI | 2,875 | $92,911 | 11.1 yrs |
| VERMONT | 2,626 | $102,180 | 13 yrs |
| LOUISIANA | 2,307 | $89,407 | 10.8 yrs |
Showing top 20 of 51 states
Workforce Dynamics
Monthly hiring and separation trends. Net change over 12 months: +9,613.
| Month | Accessions | Separations | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | +1,435 | -1,921 | -486 |
| Feb 2025 | +1,716 | -1,302 | +414 |
| Jan 2025 | +2,856 | -1,532 | +1,324 |
| Dec 2024 | +2,565 | -1,799 | +766 |
| Nov 2024 | +1,928 | -1,024 | +904 |
| Oct 2024 | +1,986 | -1,085 | +901 |
| Sep 2024 | +2,387 | -1,082 | +1,305 |
| Aug 2024 | +2,055 | -1,339 | +716 |
| Jul 2024 | +2,186 | -1,135 | +1,051 |
| Jun 2024 | +3,069 | -1,343 | +1,726 |
| May 2024 | +2,004 | -1,719 | +285 |
| Apr 2024 | +1,709 | -1,002 | +707 |
Hiring & Separation Reasons
Why employees join and leave Department of Homeland Security
Accession Reasons
New Hire - Excepted Service Appointment
17,360
New Hire - Competitive Service Appointment
7,852
Transfer In - Individual Transfer
665
New Hire - Senior Executive Service (SES) Appt
19
Separation Reasons
Quit
6,409
Retirement - Voluntary
4,630
Other Separation
2,144
Transfer Out - Individual Transfer
1,652
Termination (Expired Appt/Other)
1,199
Employee Tenure Distribution
Average length of service is 11.8 years. Employees in sub-agencies grouped by average tenure.
Under 5 yrs
0
5–10 yrs
25,922
10–15 yrs
203,698
15–20 yrs
2,151
Over 20 yrs
0
Federal Employment Guides
Learn more about working for the federal government
Similar-Sized Agencies
Federal agencies with a similar workforce size to Department of Homeland Security
Department of the Army
220,484 employees $101,403 avg
Department of the Navy
220,459 employees $108,539 avg
Department of the Air Force
171,750 employees $99,379 avg
Department of Defense
158,689 employees $100,589 avg
Department of Treasury
116,073 employees $95,743 avg
Department of Justice
116,047 employees $117,386 avg
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work at Department of Homeland Security? ▾
Department of Homeland Security employs 231,771 federal workers as of March 2025. This represents 10.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average salary at Department of Homeland Security? ▾
The average salary at Department of Homeland Security is $103,913 per year, which is 5.4% below the federal average of $109,869.
What is the average length of service at Department of Homeland Security? ▾
The average length of service at Department of Homeland Security is 11.8 years. The federal average is 11.8 years.
How many sub-agencies does Department of Homeland Security have? ▾
Department of Homeland Security has 13 sub-agencies or organizational units. The largest is Customs and Border Protection with 66,839 employees.
In how many states does Department of Homeland Security have employees? ▾
Department of Homeland Security has employees in 51 states (including DC). The largest concentration is in TEXAS with 34,141 employees.
Is Department of Homeland Security hiring or downsizing? ▾
Over the most recent 12 months of data, Department of Homeland Security had 25,896 accessions and 16,283 separations, for a net change of +9,613 employees.
Where can I find salary data for occupations at Department of Homeland Security? ▾
PlainGovJobs reports the average salary for Department of Homeland Security from the OPM FedScope dataset. For pay broken down by individual occupation, browse this site's occupation directory, each occupation page lists its federal average salary and workforce size from the same OPM source.
Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, March 2025. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-03-10.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGovJobs
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from OPM FedScope. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: Federal workforce figures from OPM FedScope as of the March 2025 snapshot, with current openings from USAJOBS; compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
PlainGovJobs is rendered directly from OPM FedScope federal-workforce data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on OPM FedScope agency-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.