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OPM FedScope March 2025 Federal civilian workforce

Federal Employment in New Jersey

New Jersey employs 29,311 federal civilian workers - 1.3% of the federal workforce, at an average salary of $121,168, 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 New Jersey

New Jersey is home to 29,311 federal civilian employees, which is 1.3% 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 30 federal agencies currently operating on state soil.

Pay in New Jersey averages $121,168 across all federal grades and occupations, placing the state 10.3% above 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 13.1 years, a signal of workforce stability and the degree to which federal careers anchor local economies.

The largest federal employer in New Jersey is DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY with 5,320 employees at an average salary of $131,088. The highest-paying agency in the state is SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION at $254,922 average salary. For job seekers browsing USAJOBS postings filtered to New Jersey, 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

29,311

-0.9% from prior period

Average Salary

$121,168

Above federal average

+1.0%

Avg Length of Service

13.1 yrs

Average tenure

Agencies Present

30

Salary Context

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

State Average

$121,168

National Average

$109,869

vs. National Avg

+10.3%

Federal Agencies in New Jersey

30 federal agencies operate in New Jersey. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY is the largest with 5,320 employees.

1. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY5,3202. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SE…5,0683. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AF…4,4004. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY2,5475. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE2,2146. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTAT…1,7997. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FOR…1,7618. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY1,2309. SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTR…82210. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE631
Largest federal employers in New Jersey (by civilian employees)

The 10 largest federal agencies in New Jersey by civilian headcount.

Source: OPM FedScope

# Agency Employees Avg Salary
1 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 5,320 $131,088
2 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 5,068 $109,138
3 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 4,400 $118,091
4 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 2,547 $127,068
5 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 2,214 $117,586
6 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 1,799 $152,993
7 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 1,761 $91,275
8 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 1,230 $137,517
9 SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 822 $108,687
10 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 631 $100,472
11 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 528 $103,144
12 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 518 $115,981
13 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 507 $136,172
14 DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 297 $94,546
15 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 245 $134,254
16 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 230 $142,602
17 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 192 $119,645
18 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPM 115 $139,944
19 SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 108 $87,589
20 FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION 73 $181,019
21 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 42 $151,051
22 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 32 $142,601
23 NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION 29 $123,889
24 NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD 27 $148,918
25 OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 25 $141,154
26 DEPARTMENT OF STATE 22 $131,584
27 EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION 22 $122,787
28 FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM 20 $186,790
29 CORP FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE 11 $115,658
30 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 11 $254,922

Where New Jersey ranks nationally

New Jersey's 29,311 federal civilian employees are more than 55% of states (28 of 51). The highlighted bar marks where New Jersey 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) - New Jersey is in the highlighted range.

Federal employment distribution across all 51 states; New Jersey ranks higher than 55%.

Source: OPM FedScope Employment Cubes As of March 2025

Similar States by Federal Employment

States with a similar federal workforce size to New Jersey

Massachusetts

29,918 employees $115,743 avg

Hawaii

27,836 employees $101,199 avg

South Carolina

27,608 employees $98,606 avg

Indiana

26,912 employees $98,539 avg

Kentucky

26,542 employees $90,123 avg

New Mexico

25,401 employees $97,618 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 New Jersey? ▾
New Jersey has 29,311 federal civilian employees as of March 2025. This represents 1.3% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472.
What is the average federal salary in New Jersey? ▾
The average federal salary in New Jersey is $121,168 per year, which is 10.3% above the national federal average of $109,869.
Which federal agency has the most employees in New Jersey? ▾
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY is the largest federal employer in New Jersey with 5,320 employees and an average salary of $131,088.
What is the highest-paying federal agency in New Jersey? ▾
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION has the highest average salary among federal agencies in New Jersey at $254,922 per year.
How many federal agencies operate in New Jersey? ▾
30 federal agencies have employees in New Jersey. The largest is DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY with 5,320 employees.
How does federal employment in New Jersey compare to other states? ▾
New Jersey ranks among the mid-range states for federal employment, with 1.3% of the total federal civilian workforce. The average length of service is 13.1 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.