Federal Employment in MISSOURI

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 quarterly.