State rankings

Federal Government Employees by State

California has the highest Federal Employees in 2024 (150,679), followed by Virginia (147,358) and Maryland (144,497). Vermont has the lowest (3,368).

Politics & Government50 states · 3 metricsUpdated Mar 30, 2025Original page
2 sources
Year 202450 of 51 states
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Federal Employees, 2024

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 50 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
23,072
Middle half 11.9K – 42K
Average
36,406
50 states
Highest
150,679
California
Lowest
3,368
Vermont

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Federal Employees
#
1California150,6793.9$103,255
2Virginia147,35816.9$117,962
3Maryland144,49723.4$137,624
4Texas130,6864.3$90,254
5Florida95,1674.2$94,317
6Georgia81,3667.4$91,260
7Pennsylvania66,6565.1$90,482
8Washington58,5087.5$96,660
9Ohio56,0684.8$99,862
10New York54,0922.8$90,917
11North Carolina51,9004.8$89,386
12Illinois45,2133.6$99,422
13Oklahoma42,21210.4$79,808
14Alabama41,3198.1$99,475
15Colorado41,1677.0$105,985
16Missouri37,2206.0$79,723
17Arizona34,4604.6$85,147
18Utah33,9619.9$77,390
19Tennessee32,5744.6$77,390
20Michigan29,8223.0$99,195
21Massachusetts25,6983.7$107,691
22South Carolina24,8634.6$87,062
23Hawaii24,80417.3$94,817
24Indiana24,4993.6$90,300
25Kentucky23,4495.2$77,955
26New Mexico22,69510.7$84,878
27New Jersey22,6842.4$119,187
28Oregon20,9524.9$87,062
29Mississippi19,6906.7$80,649
30Louisiana19,4864.3$86,962
31Minnesota18,1833.2$94,305
32Wisconsin17,9463.0$85,978
33Kansas17,8246.1$87,062
34West Virginia17,3019.8$91,916
35Arkansas14,2694.7$79,904
36Nevada13,9674.4$88,756
37Maine12,7179.1$85,295
38Alaska11,65815.9$95,614
39Montana11,35310.0$77,390
40Idaho10,9935.6$77,390
41Nebraska10,4125.3$87,796
42Iowa9,9303.1$83,152
43South Dakota8,9409.7$77,390
44Rhode Island8,5987.8$108,402
45Connecticut7,3042.0$104,510
46Wyoming6,83211.7$75,956
47North Dakota5,7367.3$82,226
48New Hampshire5,2083.7$104,788
49Delaware3,9983.9$93,143
50Vermont3,3685.2$97,417

What correlates with Federal Employees (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,114 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Federal Employees tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Army ReservesMilitary Members by State
    r = +0.87 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Army Reserve UnitsArmy Reserve Units by State
    r = +0.84 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Total Reserves All BranchesMilitary Members by State
    r = +0.83 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Active Duty All BranchesMilitary Members by State
    r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Veteran PopulationArmy Reserve Units by State
    r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  6. VeteransDisabled Veteran Benefits by State
    r = +0.81 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Federal Employees tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.62 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Year JoinedMega Millions States
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 45
    Plot
  3. 3-Year Re-Incarceration (VADOC)Recidivism Rates by State
    r = −0.51 · strong · n = 34
    Plot
  4. Total Possible Years of ServiceGovernor Term Limits by State
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 37
    Plot
  5. Off Grid Via Kuhl Safety ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)
    r = −0.46 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Federal Employees?
California has the highest Federal Employees in 2024, at 150,679, followed by Virginia (147,358) and Maryland (144,497).
Which state has the lowest Federal Employees?
Vermont has the lowest Federal Employees in 2024, at 3,368.
What is the median Federal Employees across US states?
The median is 23,072 across the 50 US states with data in 2024.
Where does the Federal Government Employees by State data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Which States Have the Most (and Best-Paid) Federal Employees? 2025 Study - Smart Asset; Federal Civilian Employment - United States Office Of Personnel Management.

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