U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce
Federal Employment Statistics
Profile of Federal Civilian Non-Postal Employees
September 30, 2008
Introduction
The "typical
Federal civilian employee" is a topic of frequent interest for the news media,
businesses, private citizens and organizations. This factsheet lists the summary
statistics often requested for speeches, letters and reports. (Data are for total on-board
employment (i.e., all work schedules) unless otherwise indicated and may
differ from other releases due to coverage "e.g., agency, work
schedule, tenure" and as-of dates.) If you have any questions, please call the
Office of Communications at 202-606-1800.
| Demographic Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Age | 46.8 years average for full-time permanent employees |
| Length of Service | 15.5 years average for full-time permanent employees |
| Retirement Eligibility | 45.7% of full-time permanents covered under Civil Service Retirement (excluding hires since January 1984) |
| Education Level | 44.3% have Bachelor's Degree or higher degree |
| Gender | 55.6% men and 44.3% women |
| Race and National Origin | 33.0% minority group members: 17.5% Black, 7.7% Hispanic, 5.2% Asian,.299 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, 2.1% Native American |
| Disability Status | 6.8% have disabilities |
| Veterans Preference | 22.4% have veterans preference (8.0% are Vietnam Era veterans) |
| Retired Military | 6.2% of total: 1.3% officers and 4.9% enlisted personnel |
| Job Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Full-Time Permanents Average Annual Base Salary (adjusted to include locality pay) | $71,027 worldwide; $94,047 in Washington, DC‑MD‑VA‑WV Core Based Statistical Area |
| General Schedule Grade | 9.8 average grade; 11.8 in Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV Core Based Statistical Area |
| Pay System | 60.2% General Schedule, 10.5% wage systems, and 29.2% others |
| Work Schedule | 93.6% full-time, 3.6% part-time and 2.7% intermittent |
| Tenure | 90.6% permanent appointments; 87.6% full-time permanent appointments |
| Occupation and Category | 89.3% White‑Collar (24.3% Professional, 35.0% Administrative, 29.9% Technical, Clerical, Other), 10.6% Blue‑Collar |
| Supervisory Status | 11.9% Supervisors and Managers |
| Service (Position Occupied) | 69.8% Competitive, 30.1% Excepted, and Senior Executive Service |
| Agency | 35.4% Department of Defense, 14.3% Homeland Security, and 9.1% Department of Veterans Affairs |
| Geographic Location | 97.4% USA and 15.0% Washington, DC‑MD‑VA‑WV Core Based Statistical Area |
| Retirement Plan | 15.9% Civil Service Retirement (including 0.2% in special plan for law enforcement and firefighter personnel, 1.8% Civil Service Retirement and Social Security), 78.7% Federal Employees Retirement System and Social. Security, 5.2% Social Security only, 0.18% Foreign Service Retirement or other system, .08% none |
| Life Insurance | 94.8% eligible for Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance: 11.4% waived, 34.2% have basic coverage and 49.2% have more than basic coverage |
| Employment in This Profile | 1,938,821 Total 1,673,249 Full‑Time Permanent |
Data Source:
U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Central Personnel Data File covers all Federal civilian employees except Members and employees of Congress, Architect of the Capitol, Botanic Garden, Library of Congress, General Accounting Office, Congressional Budget Office, John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development, Office of Compliance, U.S. Court of Appeals to Veterans Claims, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Judicial Branch, White House Office, Office of the Vice President, Office of Policy Development, Federal Reserve Board, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Postal Service, Postal Rate Commission, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Imagery and Mapping Agency, Army/Air Force Exchange Service, Defense Consolidated Metropolitan Technical Personnel Center, Defense Career Management and Support Agency, Public Health Service's Commissioned Corps, and foreign nationals employed overseas.
Data from the Central Personnel Data File
Questions/Comments to:fedstats@opm.gov
U.S. Office of Personnel Management 1900 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20415 | (202) 606-1800 | TTY (202) 606-2532