The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo late Wednesday directing agencies to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a government shutdown.The shutdown could impact an already changing federal workforce. The federal government employed about 2.2 million workers nationwide in March, according to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.Washington, D.C., had the highest per capita of federal employees, with 20,200 employees per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis of the data by the Get the Facts Data Team.While Washington, D.C., has the highest per capita, other states such as Maryland, Hawaii, Virginia and Alaska had more than 1,500 employees per 100,000 people in March. Connecticut had the lowest per capita, at 232 employees per 100,000 residents.What changes has the federal workforce undergone? In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing government agencies to begin preparing for a reduction in force. Some agencies offered federal employees early resignation packages and a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program. March data from the OPM shows the federal workforce shrank from 2.3 million employees in September 2024 to 2.2 million in March 2025. However, it’s not clear what caused these changes, as employees on administrative leave pending resignation, retirement or release were still counted as current employees.Three months after Trump issued the executive order, the federal government had laid off roughly 49,000 federal employees across 48 agencies and subagencies, according to reporting from the Get the Facts Data Team.No official figure is available for the total number of federal employees laid off. The data team compiled this figure from open court records, agency press releases and media reports.Four months ago, the data team contacted these agencies and received confirmations from only five — NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education — about their workforce reductions.The Department of Health and Human Services announced on March 12 that it would reduce its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees. OPM data, however, shows the agency saw a 350-employee reduction from September 2024 to March 2025. See how government agency employment changed from September 2024 to March 2025 in the table below. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdA==
The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo late Wednesday directing agencies to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a government shutdown.
The shutdown could impact an already changing federal workforce. The federal government employed about 2.2 million workers nationwide in March, according to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Washington, D.C., had the highest per capita of federal employees, with 20,200 employees per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis of the data by the Get the Facts Data Team.
While Washington, D.C., has the highest per capita, other states such as Maryland, Hawaii, Virginia and Alaska had more than 1,500 employees per 100,000 people in March. Connecticut had the lowest per capita, at 232 employees per 100,000 residents.
What changes has the federal workforce undergone?
In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing government agencies to begin preparing for a reduction in force. Some agencies offered federal employees early resignation packages and a Voluntary Separation Incentive Program.
March data from the OPM shows the federal workforce shrank from 2.3 million employees in September 2024 to 2.2 million in March 2025. However, it’s not clear what caused these changes, as employees on administrative leave pending resignation, retirement or release were still counted as current employees.
Three months after Trump issued the executive order, the federal government had laid off roughly 49,000 federal employees across 48 agencies and subagencies, according to reporting from the Get the Facts Data Team.
No official figure is available for the total number of federal employees laid off. The data team compiled this figure from open court records, agency press releases and media reports.
Four months ago, the data team contacted these agencies and received confirmations from only five — NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Education — about their workforce reductions.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced on March 12 that it would reduce its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees. OPM data, however, shows the agency saw a 350-employee reduction from September 2024 to March 2025.
See how government agency employment changed from September 2024 to March 2025 in the table below.
