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OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce

Federal Employment in Missouri

Missouri employs 40,913 federal civilian workers - 1.8% of the federal workforce, at an average salary of $93,101, 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 Missouri

Missouri is home to 40,913 federal civilian employees, which is 1.8% 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 -0.3%, reflecting the combined effect of new hires via USAJOBS, retirements, inter-state transfers, and attrition across the 29 federal agencies currently operating on state soil.

Pay in Missouri averages $93,101 across all federal grades and occupations, placing the state 15.3% 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 11.4 years, a signal of workforce stability and the degree to which federal careers anchor local economies.

The largest federal employer in Missouri is DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS with 11,826 employees at an average salary of $104,911. The highest-paying agency in the state is COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION at $232,420 average salary. For job seekers browsing USAJOBS postings filtered to Missouri, 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

40,913

-0.3% from prior period

Average Salary

$93,101

Below federal average

+2.5%

Avg Length of Service

11.4 yrs

Average tenure

Agencies Present

29

Salary Context

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

State Average

$93,101

National Average

$109,869

vs. National Avg

-15.3%

Federal Agencies in Missouri

29 federal agencies operate in Missouri. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS is the largest with 11,826 employees.

1. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF…11,8262. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY6,4833. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY4,7834. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE3,0245. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SE…2,8756. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTR…2,3117. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE1,8038. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE1,3049. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FOR…1,03010. NAT ARCHIVES AND RECORDS…810
Largest federal employers in Missouri (by civilian employees)

The 10 largest federal agencies in Missouri by civilian headcount.

Source: OPM FedScope

# Agency Employees Avg Salary
1 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 11,826 $104,911
2 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 6,483 $64,529
3 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 4,783 $85,461
4 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 3,024 $95,086
5 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 2,875 $92,911
6 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 2,311 $91,564
7 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 1,803 $104,747
8 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 1,304 $86,891
9 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 1,030 $87,908
10 NAT ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION 810 $58,626
11 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 798 $123,154
12 DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 661 $81,586
13 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 550 $113,800
14 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 512 $122,395
15 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 479 $103,430
16 FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION 269 $160,751
17 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 257 $109,787
18 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 177 $96,009
19 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 145 $136,664
20 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPM 89 $116,582
21 SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 72 $91,179
22 OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 51 $128,389
23 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 44 $116,649
24 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 40 $126,558
25 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION 39 $111,145
26 COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 27 $232,420
27 NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD 18 $133,153
28 CORP FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE 15 $97,635
29 RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD 15 $97,390

Where Missouri ranks nationally

Missouri's 40,913 federal civilian employees are more than 65% of states (33 of 51). The highlighted bar marks where Missouri 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) - Missouri is in the highlighted range.

Federal employment distribution across all 51 states; Missouri ranks higher than 65%.

Source: OPM FedScope Employment Cubes As of March 2025

Similar States by Federal Employment

States with a similar federal workforce size to Missouri

Oklahoma

44,363 employees $91,890 avg

Alabama

44,822 employees $108,206 avg

Colorado

45,068 employees $112,495 avg

Michigan

35,962 employees $109,574 avg

Tennessee

35,647 employees $93,701 avg

Arizona

46,211 employees $98,796 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 Missouri? ▾
Missouri has 40,913 federal civilian employees as of March 2025. This represents 1.8% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average federal salary in Missouri? ▾
The average federal salary in Missouri is $93,101 per year, which is 15.3% below the national federal average of $109,869.
Which federal agency has the most employees in Missouri? ▾
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS is the largest federal employer in Missouri with 11,826 employees and an average salary of $104,911.
What is the highest-paying federal agency in Missouri? ▾
COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION has the highest average salary among federal agencies in Missouri at $232,420 per year.
How many federal agencies operate in Missouri? ▾
29 federal agencies have employees in Missouri. The largest is DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS with 11,826 employees.
How does federal employment in Missouri compare to other states? ▾
Missouri ranks among the mid-range states for federal employment, with 1.8% of the total federal civilian workforce. The average length of service is 11.4 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.