PlainGovJobs
OPM FedScope June 2026 Federal civilian workforce

Federal Employment in Kentucky

Kentucky ranks #29 of 51 states and territories by federal civilian headcount in OPM FedScope June 2026. Kentucky sits mid-pack on federal headcount: 12,078 civilians (0.6% of the disclosed workforce) at $99,012 average pay. Pay lands in the lower third of states (Below federal average). Average length of service (12.2 yrs) is among the shorter state books. Source: OPM FedScope June 2026.

All states → ⇄ Compare About this data

Federal Employees

12,078

-0.0% from prior period

Average Salary

$99,012

Below federal average

+0.3%

Avg Length of Service

12.2 yrs

Average tenure

Agencies Present

41

Federal Agencies in Kentucky

41 agencies disclose staff in Kentucky; DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS leads with 5,869 employees.

1. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF…5,8692. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY2,1453. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE9594. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE9035. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTR…6176. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAT…3597. DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR3548. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR2039. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE19010. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND S…144
Largest federal employers in Kentucky (by civilian employees)

The 10 largest federal agencies in Kentucky by civilian headcount.

Source: OPM FedScope

# Agency Employees Avg Salary
1 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 5,869 $110,222
2 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 2,145 $76,235
3 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 959 $82,436
4 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 903 $94,464
5 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 617 $94,749
6 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 359 $123,648
7 DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 354 $70,682
8 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 203 $110,235
9 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 190 $78,131
10 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 144 $96,611
11 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 93 $115,147
12 FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION 63 $139,996
13 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 40 $141,919
14 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPM 31 $127,621
15 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 20 $107,549
16 SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 18 $96,922
17 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 13 $132,744
18 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION 10 $119,826
19 NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION 8 n/a
20 DEPARTMENT OF STATE 6 $121,782
21 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 5 $151,038
22 FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 4 $103,392
23 PEACE CORPS 2 $127,197
24 NAT AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 2 $141,275
25 DFC 2 $161,150
26 OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 2 $122,403
27 RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD 2 $86,569
28 GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 1 $89,508
29 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 1 $92,107
30 FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION 1 n/a
31 U.S.AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA 1 $147,945
32 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 1 $226,710
33 BARRY GOLDWATER SCHOL & EXCEL IN ED FOUN 1 $207,716
34 FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 1 $182,467
35 INTER BOUND AND WATER COMM U.S. SECTION 1 $131,273
36 NAT ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION 1 $138,356
37 EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES 1 $167,672
38 JUDICIAL BRANCH 1 $138,356
39 SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM 1 $147,945
40 PRESIDIO TRUST 1 $148,829
41 PUBLIC BUILDINGS REFORM BOARD 1 $197,201

Where Kentucky sits nationally

Kentucky's 12,078 civilians place it mid-pack among 51 states and territories by FedScope headcount (inventory signal, not a quality ranking).

Kentucky vs all states by federal civilian headcount

Where this state's disclosed OPM FedScope employee count sits among every tracked state and territory

12,078 29th of 51 higher than 22 of 51 states

States and territories, banded by federal civilian headcount

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source OPM FedScope Employment Cubes · June 2026

Similar States by Federal Employment

States whose disclosed federal headcount sits closest to Kentucky's 12,078.

Louisiana

11,836 employees $103,472 avg

South Carolina

12,597 employees $105,109 avg

Indiana

11,286 employees $102,913 avg

West Virginia

13,160 employees $106,959 avg

Wisconsin

13,409 employees $106,687 avg

New Jersey

10,635 employees $126,642 avg

Lower-pay peers of Kentucky

Cross-state peers on OPM FedScope average pay and length of service, separate from the headcount neighbourhood above.

Similar average salary

Nearest state-wide average salaries ($99,012 here).

Missouri
$98,611 avg · 25,174 employees
Tennessee
$100,769 avg · 22,414 employees
Nebraska
$101,478 avg · 5,419 employees
New Mexico
$96,529 avg · 14,008 employees
Mississippi
$95,725 avg · 9,171 employees
Arkansas
$102,501 avg · 9,591 employees

Similar average tenure

Nearest state-wide average length of service (12.2 years here).

South Dakota
12.2 yrs avg tenure · 6,731 employees
Delaware
12.1 yrs avg tenure · 2,221 employees
Indiana
12.1 yrs avg tenure · 11,286 employees
Iowa
12.1 yrs avg tenure · 7,038 employees
Montana
12.1 yrs avg tenure · 8,643 employees
Vermont
12.1 yrs avg tenure · 2,454 employees

Data Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) FedScope Employment Cubes, June 2026. Federal civilian non-seasonal full-time and part-time employees. Data does not include military personnel, postal workers, or intelligence agency staff. Last updated: 2026-08-11.

Data sourced from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes and Federal Workforce Data (FWD). See our methodology for details, or report a data error on this page. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGovJobs from OPM FedScope state-level employment records as of June 2026.

OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.

Data currency: Employment stock from OPM Federal Workforce Data June 2026 (prior-period deltas vs May 2026); monthly hiring/separations from FWD Dynamics June 2024–June 2026 (filled civilian headcount and flows, not live USAJOBS vacancy listings). State pages sum only duty stations with a disclosed US state/DC code; 898,675 employees have redacted geography in the release and appear in the national total only. Database compiled 2026-08-11. See our methodology § populations for the three windows. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.