Records analyzed
1 sub-agencies
Cross-joined with state geography and occupational mix
OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce
Social Security Administration
Headcount, average pay, length of service, sub-agencies, and hiring trends for Social Security Administration, drawn directly from the OPM FedScope federal workforce dataset (March 2025).
The verdict
Social Security Administration is a major federal employer: 56,263 employees (2.5% of the federal civilian workforce) across 51 states (including DC). At an average salary of $101,587 it pays near the federal average of $109,869, and headcount declined 3.7% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 56,263
- Share of workforce
- 2.5%
- Avg salary
- $101,587
- States present
- 51
Federal workforce data for Social Security Administration. This agency represents 2.5% of the total federal civilian workforce. Source: OPM FedScope, March 2025.
What the Numbers Say About Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration employs 56,263 federal civilian workers, which accounts for 2.5% 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 down by -3.7%, a signal that hiring authorities and attrition at this agency are shedding net positions during the current reporting window.
Average length of service at Social Security Administration is 15.6 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: Social Security Administration has employees in 51 states (including DC), with the largest concentration in MARYLAND (9,480 employees at $121,674 avg salary). Over the most recent 12 months of workforce-dynamics data, the agency recorded 1,726 accessions against 4,852 separations for a net change of -3,126 positions, useful context for job seekers evaluating whether Social Security 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
56,263
Large employer
-3.7% from prior period
Average Salary
$101,587
Near federal average
+2.8%
Avg Length of Service
15.6 yrs
Long-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
Social Security Administration pay vs. federal civilian average
Agency average $101,587 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 Social Security Administration hires into rather than a modelled per-agency estimate.
National General Schedule grade distribution - 1,517,243 GS employees.
Salary Analysis
How Social Security Administration pay compares to the federal average of $109,869
Agency Average
$101,587
Federal Average
$109,869
vs. Federal Avg
-7.5%
Where Social Security Administration ranks on pay
Ranked by agency (not weighted by headcount), its average salary of $101,587 is higher than 11% of the 115 federal agencies (13 pay less on average). Smaller specialized agencies often post higher per-employee averages than large ones like Social Security 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 Social Security Administration sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 115 federal agencies; Social Security Administration ranks higher than 11%.
Salary Range by Sub-agency
Under $80K
0
$80K–$100K
0
$100K–$120K
56,263
$120K–$150K
0
Over $150K
0
Sub-agencies & Organizational Units
Social Security Administration has 1 sub-agencies. The highest-paying unit averages $101,587.
| Sub-agency | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | 56,263 | $101,587 | 15.6 yrs |
Geographic Presence
Social Security Administration has employees in 51 states (including DC). MARYLAND has the most with 9,480 employees.
| State | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| MARYLAND | 9,480 | $121,674 | 16.4 yrs |
| CALIFORNIA | 5,600 | $104,291 | 15.2 yrs |
| PENNSYLVANIA | 3,654 | $88,127 | 14.2 yrs |
| NEW YORK | 3,381 | $103,331 | 15 yrs |
| TEXAS | 3,185 | $99,234 | 16.6 yrs |
| FLORIDA | 2,621 | $90,350 | 15.1 yrs |
| ALABAMA | 2,459 | $82,336 | 14.8 yrs |
| ILLINOIS | 2,452 | $98,458 | 15.3 yrs |
| MISSOURI | 2,311 | $91,564 | 14.8 yrs |
| GEORGIA | 1,605 | $103,474 | 16.5 yrs |
| OHIO | 1,286 | $98,169 | 16.3 yrs |
| NORTH CAROLINA | 1,278 | $98,015 | 16.3 yrs |
| MICHIGAN | 1,199 | $101,582 | 16 yrs |
| WASHINGTON | 1,110 | $103,999 | 15.2 yrs |
| MASSACHUSETTS | 950 | $112,156 | 15.8 yrs |
| TENNESSEE | 908 | $93,697 | 16.2 yrs |
| DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | 904 | $126,868 | 19.3 yrs |
| NEW JERSEY | 822 | $108,687 | 15.5 yrs |
| KENTUCKY | 704 | $91,843 | 15.1 yrs |
| VIRGINIA | 678 | $96,881 | 16 yrs |
Showing top 20 of 51 states
Workforce Dynamics
Monthly hiring and separation trends. Net change over 12 months: -3,126.
| Month | Accessions | Separations | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | +0 | -657 | -657 |
| Feb 2025 | +0 | -332 | -332 |
| Jan 2025 | +24 | -753 | -729 |
| Dec 2024 | +49 | -545 | -496 |
| Nov 2024 | +128 | -260 | -132 |
| Oct 2024 | +123 | -256 | -133 |
| Sep 2024 | +290 | -306 | -16 |
| Aug 2024 | +370 | -309 | +61 |
| Jul 2024 | +360 | -306 | +54 |
| Jun 2024 | +154 | -384 | -230 |
| May 2024 | +183 | -374 | -191 |
| Apr 2024 | +45 | -370 | -325 |
Hiring & Separation Reasons
Why employees join and leave Social Security Administration
Accession Reasons
New Hire - Competitive Service Appointment
1,634
New Hire - Excepted Service Appointment
92
Separation Reasons
Retirement - Voluntary
1,748
Quit
1,392
Transfer Out - Individual Transfer
563
Other Separation
417
Termination (Expired Appt/Other)
417
Federal Employment Guides
Learn more about working for the federal government
Similar-Sized Agencies
Federal agencies with a similar workforce size to Social Security Administration
Department of Transportation
57,204 employees $141,857 avg
Department of Interior
63,752 employees $95,844 avg
Department of Commerce
47,410 employees $127,933 avg
Department of Agriculture
90,840 employees $88,591 avg
Department of Health and Human Services
92,269 employees $134,256 avg
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
17,973 employees $152,463 avg
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people work at Social Security Administration? ▾
Social Security Administration employs 56,263 federal workers as of March 2025. This represents 2.5% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average salary at Social Security Administration? ▾
The average salary at Social Security Administration is $101,587 per year, which is 7.5% below the federal average of $109,869.
What is the average length of service at Social Security Administration? ▾
The average length of service at Social Security Administration is 15.6 years. The federal average is 11.8 years.
How many sub-agencies does Social Security Administration have? ▾
Social Security Administration has 1 sub-agencies or organizational units. The largest is Social Security Administration with 56,263 employees.
In how many states does Social Security Administration have employees? ▾
Social Security Administration has employees in 51 states (including DC). The largest concentration is in MARYLAND with 9,480 employees.
Is Social Security Administration hiring or downsizing? ▾
Over the most recent 12 months of data, Social Security Administration had 1,726 accessions and 4,852 separations, for a net change of -3,126 employees.
Where can I find salary data for occupations at Social Security Administration? ▾
PlainGovJobs reports the average salary for Social Security 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.