Total Government Employment Since 1962

Recently heard and read people, some Republicans, complaining about slow service at federal government offices, such as at the local Social Security office, and trying to get info from the IRS. Congressional Republicans have forced cutbacks in the federal budget, which has led inevitably to cutbacks in the number of federal employees. But the population of the U.S. has been growing.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/data-analysis-documentation/federal-employment-reports/historical-tables/total-government-employment-since-1962/

Year Executive branch civilians (thousands) Uniformed military personnel (thousands) Legislative and judicial branch personnel (thousands) Total Federal personnel (thousands)
1962 2,485 2,840 30 5,354

1968 3,020 3,584 35 6,639

1975 2,848 2,164 49 5,061

1985 3,008 2,190 58 5,256

1995 2,858 1,555 62 4,475

2005 2,636 1,436 65 4,138

2014 2,663 1,459 63 4,185