Federal Employment in NORTH CAROLINA

What the Numbers Say About Federal Employment in NORTH CAROLINA

NORTH CAROLINA is home to 57,025 federal civilian employees, which is 2.5% 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 32 federal agencies currently operating on state soil.

Pay in NORTH CAROLINA averages $100,537 across all federal grades and occupations, placing the state 8.5% 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 10.8 years — a signal of workforce stability and the degree to which federal careers anchor local economies.

The largest federal employer in NORTH CAROLINA is DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS with 17,160 employees at an average salary of $109,712. The highest-paying agency in the state is FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM at $170,472 average salary. For job seekers browsing USAJOBS postings filtered to NORTH CAROLINA, 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.