Records analyzed
1 sub-agencies
Cross-joined with state geography and occupational mix
OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce
Small Business Administration
Headcount, average pay, length of service, sub-agencies, and hiring trends for Small Business Administration, drawn directly from the OPM FedScope federal workforce dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Small Business Administration is a mid-sized federal agency: 8,164 employees (0.4% of the federal civilian workforce) across 46 states (including DC). At an average salary of $95,253 it pays below the federal average of $109,869, and headcount grew 4.3% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 8,164
- Share of workforce
- 0.4%
- Avg salary
- $95,253
- States present
- 46
Federal workforce data for Small Business Administration. This agency represents 0.4% of the total federal civilian workforce. Source: OPM FedScope, March 2025.
What the Numbers Say About Small Business Administration
Small Business Administration employs 8,164 federal civilian workers, which accounts for 0.4% 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 4.3%, a signal that hiring authorities and attrition at this agency are adding net positions during the current reporting window.
Average length of service at Small Business Administration is 6.6 years, spread across its 1 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: Small Business Administration has employees in 46 states (including DC), with the largest concentration in TEXAS (1,865 employees at $85,318 avg salary). Over the most recent 12 months of workforce-dynamics data, the agency recorded 1,783 accessions against 1,508 separations for a net change of +275 positions, useful context for job seekers evaluating whether Small Business Administration 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
8,164
Mid-sized employer
+4.3% from prior period
Average Salary
$95,253
Below federal average
+1.2%
Avg Length of Service
6.6 yrs
Shorter-tenured workforce
Sub-agencies
1
Data vintage
March 2025
OPM FedScope semi-annual snapshot
Source authority
OPM FedScope
U.S. Office of Personnel Management, official federal HR data
Small Business Administration pay vs. federal civilian average
Agency average $95,253 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 Small Business Administration hires into rather than a modelled per-agency estimate.
National General Schedule grade distribution - 1,517,243 GS employees.
Salary Analysis
How Small Business Administration pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Agency Average
$95,253
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-13.3%
Where Small Business Administration ranks on pay
Ranked by agency (not weighted by headcount), its average salary of $95,253 is higher than 4% of the 115 federal agencies (5 pay less on average). Smaller specialized agencies often post higher per-employee averages than large ones like Small Business Administration, so this agency-count rank can differ from a comparison to the government-wide, employee-weighted average shown above. The highlighted bar marks where Small Business Administration sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 115 federal agencies; Small Business Administration ranks higher than 4%.
Salary Range by Sub-agency
Under $80K
0
$80K–$100K
8,164
$100K–$120K
0
$120K–$150K
0
Over $150K
0
Sub-agencies & Organizational Units
Small Business Administration has 1 sub-agencies. The highest-paying unit averages $95,253.
| Sub-agency | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Administration | 8,164 | $95,253 | 6.6 yrs |
Geographic Presence
Small Business Administration has employees in 46 states (including DC). TEXAS has the most with 1,865 employees.
| State | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEXAS | 1,865 | $85,318 | 5.4 yrs |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 877 | $146,940 | 13.8 yrs |
| CALIFORNIA | 843 | $99,242 | 7.1 yrs |
| GEORGIA | 606 | $81,242 | 4.1 yrs |
| FLORIDA | 600 | $78,447 | 3.6 yrs |
| VIRGINIA | 373 | $103,996 | 7.2 yrs |
| NEW YORK | 325 | $94,677 | 6.7 yrs |
| MARYLAND | 207 | $89,142 | 3.2 yrs |
| ALABAMA | 174 | $79,530 | 6.4 yrs |
| COLORADO | 173 | $117,755 | 12.2 yrs |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 148 | $77,787 | 3.3 yrs |
| ILLINOIS | 140 | $97,596 | 6.2 yrs |
| LOUISIANA | 125 | $74,071 | 4 yrs |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 124 | $99,927 | 9.6 yrs |
| NEW JERSEY | 108 | $87,589 | 2.7 yrs |
| OHIO | 104 | $88,704 | 6.5 yrs |
| SOUTH CAROLINA | 88 | $77,542 | 4 yrs |
| ARIZONA | 74 | $83,951 | 6.4 yrs |
| TENNESSEE | 73 | $80,904 | 4.4 yrs |
| MISSOURI | 72 | $91,179 | 6.6 yrs |
Showing top 20 of 46 states
Workforce Dynamics
Monthly hiring and separation trends. Net change over 12 months: +275.
| Month | Accessions | Separations | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | +14 | -129 | -115 |
| Feb 2025 | +28 | -87 | -59 |
| Jan 2025 | +161 | -350 | -189 |
| Dec 2024 | +240 | -180 | +60 |
| Nov 2024 | +376 | -89 | +287 |
| Oct 2024 | +435 | -71 | +364 |
| Sep 2024 | +132 | -175 | -43 |
| Aug 2024 | +113 | -95 | +18 |
| Jul 2024 | +26 | -117 | -91 |
| Jun 2024 | +131 | -91 | +40 |
| May 2024 | +85 | -66 | +19 |
| Apr 2024 | +42 | -58 | -16 |
Hiring & Separation Reasons
Why employees join and leave Small Business Administration
Accession Reasons
New Hire - Excepted Service Appointment
1,170
New Hire - Competitive Service Appointment
579
Transfer In - Individual Transfer
34
Separation Reasons
Termination (Expired Appt/Other)
760
Quit
453
Transfer Out - Individual Transfer
211
Retirement - Voluntary
84
Federal Employment Guides
Learn more about working for the federal government
Similar-Sized Agencies
Federal agencies with a similar workforce size to Small Business Administration
Department of Housing and Urban Development
8,671 employees $139,117 avg
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
6,487 employees $178,661 avg
U.S. Agency for International Development
4,922 employees $152,896 avg
Securities and Exchange Commission
4,744 employees $230,991 avg
Smithsonian Institution
4,453 employees $135,267 avg
Department of Education
4,052 employees $145,334 avg
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work at Small Business Administration? ▾
Small Business Administration employs 8,164 federal workers as of March 2025. This represents 0.4% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average salary at Small Business Administration? ▾
The average salary at Small Business Administration is $95,253 per year, which is 13.3% below the federal average of $109,869.
What is the average length of service at Small Business Administration? ▾
The average length of service at Small Business Administration is 6.6 years. The federal average is 11.8 years.
How many sub-agencies does Small Business Administration have? ▾
Small Business Administration has 1 sub-agencies or organizational units. The largest is Small Business Administration with 8,164 employees.
In how many states does Small Business Administration have employees? ▾
Small Business Administration has employees in 46 states (including DC). The largest concentration is in TEXAS with 1,865 employees.
Is Small Business Administration hiring or downsizing? ▾
Over the most recent 12 months of data, Small Business Administration had 1,783 accessions and 1,508 separations, for a net change of +275 employees.
Where can I find salary data for occupations at Small Business Administration? ▾
PlainGovJobs reports the average salary for Small Business Administration 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.