PlainGovJobs

Federal Employment by State

1,953,300 federal employees across 51 states, including DC, OPM FedScope, June 2026.

Coverage status: nationwide coverage, every one of the 51 jurisdictions in OPM FedScope is listed below.

Headcount vs average salary

District of Columbia posts the most federal employees (96,552), while District of Columbia leads average salary ($154,024). Duty-station size and pay mix answer different questions, pair both tables below.

Most federal employees

# State Employees
1 District of Columbia 96,552
2 California 78,484
3 Maryland 75,194
4 Texas 73,050
5 Florida 55,342
6 Virginia 44,228
7 Georgia 39,575
8 Pennsylvania 36,115
9 New York 35,791
10 Illinois 27,107
11 North Carolina 26,746
12 Ohio 25,990

Highest average salary

# State Avg salary
1 District of Columbia $154,024
2 Maryland $146,475
3 Virginia $134,612
4 New Jersey $126,642
5 California $124,322
6 Connecticut $123,699
7 New Hampshire $121,875
8 Massachusetts $120,785
9 Colorado $120,244
10 Illinois $119,378
11 Rhode Island $119,256
12 Vermont $118,036

All jurisdictions

# State Employees Avg Salary
1 District of Columbia 96,552 $154,024
2 California 78,484 $124,322
3 Maryland 75,194 $146,475
4 Texas 73,050 $110,896
5 Florida 55,342 $111,473
6 Virginia 44,228 $134,612
7 Georgia 39,575 $113,374
8 Pennsylvania 36,115 $105,985
9 New York 35,791 $116,309
10 Illinois 27,107 $119,378
11 North Carolina 26,746 $112,595
12 Ohio 25,990 $113,832
13 Missouri 25,174 $98,611
14 Colorado 24,385 $120,244
15 Arizona 23,479 $104,382
16 Washington 23,282 $116,221
17 Tennessee 22,414 $100,769
18 Michigan 18,311 $109,161
19 Massachusetts 16,188 $120,785
20 Oregon 15,964 $103,039
21 Utah 15,153 $87,896
22 Alabama 15,145 $104,265
23 Oklahoma 14,632 $106,785
24 New Mexico 14,008 $96,529
25 Minnesota 13,729 $112,696
26 Wisconsin 13,409 $106,687
27 West Virginia 13,160 $106,959
28 South Carolina 12,597 $105,109
29 Kentucky 12,078 $99,012
30 Louisiana 11,836 $103,472
31 Indiana 11,286 $102,913
32 New Jersey 10,635 $126,642
33 Nevada 10,191 $107,573
34 Arkansas 9,591 $102,501
35 Kansas 9,263 $104,722
36 Mississippi 9,171 $95,725
37 Montana 8,643 $90,083
38 Idaho 8,282 $92,160
39 Iowa 7,038 $104,469
40 South Dakota 6,731 $92,120
41 Alaska 5,778 $108,775
42 Nebraska 5,419 $101,478
43 Wyoming 5,254 $88,728
44 Connecticut 5,003 $123,699
45 Hawaii 4,780 $109,314
46 New Hampshire 3,670 $121,875
47 North Dakota 3,618 $94,971
48 Maine 3,506 $106,807
49 Rhode Island 2,973 $119,256
50 Vermont 2,454 $118,036
51 Delaware 2,221 $116,878

State directory FAQ

Which jurisdiction has the most federal employees in this directory?
District of Columbia leads with 96,552 federal employees in the OPM FedScope extract. Headcount reflects duty-station location, not agency headquarters alone.
Which jurisdiction has the highest average federal salary?
District of Columbia posts the highest average salary at about $154,024. Averages mix grades and occupations, open the state page for the distribution.
Do the largest headcount states always pay the most?
Compare the headcount and average-salary tables on this page. Large duty-station states and high-grade clusters often diverge.
How many states and territories does this hub cover?
This directory lists 51 jurisdictions covering 1,953,300 federal employees from OPM FedScope (June 2026).
Compiled from official public sources by the editorial process.

Download the 51-jurisdiction duty-station extract: federal-workforce-by-state.csv (same extract as /statistics).