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OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce

Federal Employment in Illinois

Illinois employs 53,474 federal civilian workers - 2.3% of the federal workforce, at an average salary of $109,781, drawn directly from OPM FedScope (March 2025). Explore the top agencies, pay, and length of service below.

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What the Numbers Say About Federal Employment in Illinois

Illinois is home to 53,474 federal civilian employees, which is 2.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 recorded in OPM FedScope for March 2025. Versus the prior reporting period, the state's federal headcount moved down by -0.9%, reflecting the combined effect of new hires via USAJOBS, retirements, inter-state transfers, and attrition across the 39 federal agencies currently operating on state soil.

Pay in Illinois averages $109,781 across all federal grades and occupations, placing the state 0.1% below the national federal civilian average of $109,869. The gap reflects locality-pay tables, the mix of headquarters versus field-office roles, and the occupational profile of agencies that concentrate here. Average length of service is 11.7 years, a signal of workforce stability and the degree to which federal careers anchor local economies.

The largest federal employer in Illinois is DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS with 16,199 employees at an average salary of $111,646. The highest-paying agency in the state is COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION at $246,015 average salary. For job seekers browsing USAJOBS postings filtered to Illinois, these agency-level concentrations matter because they determine which career ladders, locality-pay tables, and mission areas dominate local federal employment. All figures come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, updated semi-annually (March and September).

Federal Employees

53,474

-0.9% from prior period

Average Salary

$109,781

Near federal average

+2.7%

Avg Length of Service

11.7 yrs

Average tenure

Agencies Present

39

Salary Context

How federal pay in Illinois compares to the national average of $109,869

State Average

$109,781

National Average

$109,869

vs. National Avg

-0.1%

Federal Agencies in Illinois

39 federal agencies operate in Illinois. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS is the largest with 16,199 employees.

1. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF…16,1992. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY6,9923. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SE…5,3054. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE3,5535. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FOR…3,4986. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTR…2,4527. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAT…1,9888. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY1,8259. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE1,67610. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE1,439
Largest federal employers in Illinois (by civilian employees)

The 10 largest federal agencies in Illinois by civilian headcount.

Source: OPM FedScope

# Agency Employees Avg Salary
1 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 16,199 $111,646
2 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 6,992 $97,576
3 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 5,305 $96,968
4 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 3,553 $106,646
5 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 3,498 $104,957
6 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 2,452 $98,458
7 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 1,988 $147,601
8 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 1,825 $120,854
9 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 1,676 $90,875
10 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 1,439 $98,072
11 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 1,118 $125,184
12 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 1,092 $86,981
13 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 841 $131,169
14 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 712 $124,716
15 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 618 $95,178
16 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 559 $133,876
17 RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD 495 $113,585
18 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPM 346 $137,626
19 DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 312 $91,730
20 FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION 307 $173,932
21 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 286 $226,058
22 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 245 $147,475
23 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 160 $150,729
24 SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 140 $97,596
25 NAT ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION 135 $66,460
26 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 130 $138,506
27 COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 115 $246,015
28 DEPARTMENT OF STATE 91 $103,068
29 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION 88 $118,157
30 FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 54 $163,388
31 SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM 53 $91,072
32 NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD 48 $140,126
33 OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 29 $140,836
34 NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION 27 $133,671
35 FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 25 $172,094
36 PEACE CORPS 14 $109,873
37 FED MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION SERVICE 12 $148,030
38 CORP FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE 11 $104,362
39 MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD 11 $168,950

Where Illinois ranks nationally

Illinois's 53,474 federal civilian employees are more than 75% of states (38 of 51). The highlighted bar marks where Illinois sits in the national distribution of federal employment.

4,3453034,0001163,655493,3111122,9662152,6213
Distribution of federal civilian employment across all 51 states, including DC (OPM FedScope) - Illinois is in the highlighted range.

Federal employment distribution across all 51 states; Illinois ranks higher than 75%.

Source: OPM FedScope Employment Cubes As of March 2025

Similar States by Federal Employment

States with a similar federal workforce size to Illinois

North Carolina

57,025 employees $100,537 avg

Ohio

60,425 employees $108,213 avg

Arizona

46,211 employees $98,796 avg

Colorado

45,068 employees $112,495 avg

Alabama

44,822 employees $108,206 avg

Oklahoma

44,363 employees $91,890 avg

Federal Employment Guides

Learn more about working for the federal government

How to Get a Government Job

Step-by-step guide to finding and applying for federal positions.

GS Pay Scale Explained

Understanding the General Schedule pay system and locality adjustments.

Highest-Paying Federal Jobs

Top federal occupations and agencies ranked by average salary.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many federal employees work in Illinois? ▾
Illinois has 53,474 federal civilian employees as of March 2025. This represents 2.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average federal salary in Illinois? ▾
The average federal salary in Illinois is $109,781 per year, which is 0.1% below the national federal average of $109,869.
Which federal agency has the most employees in Illinois? ▾
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS is the largest federal employer in Illinois with 16,199 employees and an average salary of $111,646.
What is the highest-paying federal agency in Illinois? ▾
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION has the highest average salary among federal agencies in Illinois at $246,015 per year.
How many federal agencies operate in Illinois? ▾
39 federal agencies have employees in Illinois. The largest is DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS with 16,199 employees.
How does federal employment in Illinois compare to other states? ▾
Illinois ranks among the mid-range states for federal employment, with 2.3% of the total federal civilian workforce. The average length of service is 11.7 years.

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from USAJOBS and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGovJobs

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 state-level employment records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.