| Branch | Sub-Entity | Approximate Number of Employees (2024) | Notes/Source |
|---|
Executive Branch
(Total: ~2.8 million) | President & Vice President | <1,000 | Includes Executive Office of the President staff. |
| Department of Defense (DoD) | 772,000 | Largest agency; includes civilian roles only (excludes ~1.3 million active-duty military). |
| Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | 486,000 | Second largest; health and benefits focus. |
| Department of Homeland Security (DHS) | 194,000 | Includes TSA, CBP, ICE. |
| Department of Justice (DOJ) | 115,000 | Includes FBI, DEA. |
| Department of the Treasury | 100,000 | Includes IRS (~80,000). |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 100,000 | Includes USDA sub-agencies. |
| Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) | 80,000 | Includes FDA, CDC. |
| Department of the Interior (DOI) | 70,000 | Includes national parks, BLM. |
| Department of Transportation (DOT) | 55,000 | Includes FAA, highway safety. |
| Department of Commerce | 50,000 | Includes NOAA, Census Bureau. |
| Department of State | 13,000 | Includes foreign service. |
| Department of Labor (DOL) | 15,000 | Includes OSHA, BLS. |
| Department of Energy (DOE) | 15,000 | Includes national labs. |
| Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) | 8,000 | Housing programs. |
| Department of Education | 4,000 | Smallest cabinet department. |
Legislative Branch
(Total: ~30,000) | U.S. Congress (overall) | 30,000 | Staff, support roles. |
| House of Representatives | 15,000 | Includes personal and committee staff. |
| U.S. Senate | 10,000 | Includes personal and committee staff. |
| Legislative Support Agencies (e.g., GAO, LOC, CRS) | 5,000 | Includes Government Accountability Office (~3,000). |
Judicial Branch
(Total: ~30,000) | U.S. Supreme Court | 500 | Justices and support staff. |
| U.S. Courts of Appeals & District Courts | 25,000 | Judges, clerks, administrative staff. |
| Other (e.g., Federal Judicial Center, Sentencing Commission) | 4,500 | Support and policy roles. |
| Entity | Approximate Number of Employees (2024) |
|---|
| African Development Foundation | N/A (<100) |
| Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation) | 20,000 |
| Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) | N/A (classified, ~20,000 estimated) |
| Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) | ~25 |
| Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) | ~700 |
| Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) | 1,600 |
| Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) | 500 |
| Election Assistance Commission (EAC) | ~50 |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | 15,000 |
| Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) | 400 |
| Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) | 8,000 |
| Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | 1,500 |
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) | 6,000 |
| Federal Election Commission (FEC) | 300 |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) | N/A (part of DHS, but semi-independent ops; ~20,000) |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) | 1,500 |
| Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) | 700 |
| Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) | 100 |
| Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) | 300 |
| Federal Reserve System | 20,000 (across 12 regional banks) |
| Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) | 100 |
| Federal Trade Commission (FTC) | 1,200 |
| Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) | 8,000 |
| General Services Administration (GSA) | 12,000 |
| International Trade Commission (ITC) | 400 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | 18,000 |
| National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) | 5,000 |
| National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) | 1,200 |
| National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) | ~150 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | ~150 |
| National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) | 1,600 |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | 1,700 |
| National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) | 400 |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) | 3,000 |
| Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) | N/A (~3,500) |
| Office of Special Counsel (OSC) | 100 |
| Peace Corps | 1,000 |
| Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) | 100 |
| Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) | 4,500 |
| Selective Service System (SSS) | 100 |
| Small Business Administration (SBA) | 3,000 |
| Social Security Administration (SSA) | 59,000 |
| Surface Transportation Board (STB) | 100 |
| Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) | 10,000 |
| United States Agency for International Development (USAID) | 10,000 |
| United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) | 3,000 |
| United States Postal Service (USPS) | 600,000 |
| United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) | 100 |
