Workforce Trends

Hiring vs. separations across the federal government, FY2020–2025.

Peak Month

125.6K separations

Sep 2025 — the largest mass exodus in modern federal history

FY2025 Total

360K separations

1.6x the FY2024 total — an unprecedented year of federal workforce loss

FY2024 Baseline

227.3K separations

The prior fiscal year, for comparison — a typical year of federal turnover

Monthly Accessions vs Separations

Biggest Net Losses

Agencies that lost the most employees (separations - accessions)

Department of the Army-15.2K Department of the Navy-13.5K Department of the Air Force-13.3K Social Security Administration-10.7K Department of Agriculture-9.8K Department of the Interior-8.3K Department of Commerce-5.8K Department of Justice-5.8K Department of Health and Human Services-5.8K General Services Administration-3.4K U.S. Agency for International Development-3.2K National Aeronautics and Space Administration-1.3K Department of Education-1.3K Department of Labor-1.1K Department of Housing and Urban Development-1.1K

Biggest Net Gains

Agencies that gained the most employees

Department of Veterans Affairs+74.7K Department of Defense+37.8K Department of Homeland Security+24.8K Department of the Treasury+2.9K Small Business Administration+1.2K Department of Energy+748 U.S. International Development Finance Corporation+242 Department of Transportation+233 Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency+70 Office of Management and Budget+47 Election Assistance Commission+43 International Boundary and Water Commission U.S. Section+36 Office of the National Cyber Director+33 Office of Administration+29 Federal Permitting Improvement Steer+18

Related Analysis

DOGE Impact Dashboard

Full breakdown of 2025 federal workforce restructuring by agency, month, and separation type.

Agency Risk Dashboard

Which agencies face the highest restructuring risk based on workforce trends.

Layoffs & Separations

Every federal separation from FY2020–2025: RIFs, quits, retirements, and terminations.

Workforce Deep Dive

Retirement cliff, experience drain, STEM brain drain, and pay grade analysis.