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According to Discovery Ed, the Executive Branch explained in Article II of the United States Constitution.

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The Executive Branch works in the White House!

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The Executive Branch works in the White House!

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The Executive Branch works in the White House located at Washington D.C.

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President Biden and Vice President Harris promised to move quickly to deliver results for working families. That's what they've done.

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The Executive Branch is the part of the government responsible for enforcing and managing the laws of the country. It is headed by the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet, etc. The Executive Branch adds policies and manages public services through a large network of federal agencies.

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Branches of the U.S. government | USAGov

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Learn about the 3 branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. Understand how each branch of U.S. government provides checks and balances.

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The Executive Branch has 2.29 Million people working for them.

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The Executive Branch has 2.29 Million people working for them.

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As of March 2025 there is 2.29 Million people working in the Executive Branch.

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About 2.93 million, as of July 2025. Federal jobs include all jobs ranging from janitors to air traffic controllers to nurses to postal workers and more. ( Enlisted service people are considered government employees but aren't included in this figure because they're not civilians.) Out of the 159.5 million nonfarm jobs in the US, 1.8% are in the federal government, the nation's largest employer. Another way to look at it: The federal government is responsible for one in every 50 jobs.

2.9M

jobs in the federal government (July 2025)

1.8%

federal government share of all nonfarm jobs (July 2025)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

In July 2025, non-military federal employment stood at 2.93 million people, down 2.4% from the previous year. Federal employment peaked in May 1990 at 3.4 million, a predictable date - spikes in federal employment tend to occur every 10 years, when the US Census Bureau employs temporary workers nationwide to help with the count.

The sharp increase at the beginning of the chart reflects the US response to the Great Depression. President Roosevelt introduced the New Deal in 1933 and established a number of new federal agencies over the following years - agencies which required staff. Some of these New Deal agencies are still around, like the Social Security Administration and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (commonly called the FDIC).

Federal employment as a share of nonfarm employment in the US has generally dropped since peaking at 7.5%, or about one in 13, in November 1944. In July 2025, 1.8% of nonfarm jobs, or about one in 50, were in the federal government. That matches its all-time low.

There are federal workers in every state. The share of federal jobs varies by state. In July 2025, Maryland has the highest proportion of jobs, with 5.3% of all nonfarm workers employed by the federal government. Wisconsin has the lowest share at 0.99%. In Washington, DC, 24.4% of all workers are employed by the US government.

Most federal jobs are in the executive branch, home to all the Cabinet-level departments. In the latest data available from March 2025, there were 2.29 million civil service workers in the executive branch, according to data from the US Office of Personnel Management. (This excludes some employees, including postal workers and enlisted military.) Seventeen cabinet departments or independent agencies employed more than 10,000 people each; these departments accounted for 96.6% of federal employment.

The Department of Defense has the highest employment at 770,900, or 33.7% of all federal civilian workers.

Keep exploring

Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Our approach to AI

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.

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How many civilian jobs are in the US federal government? | USAFacts

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About 2.93 million, as of July 2025. Federal jobs include all jobs ranging from janitors to air traffic controllers to nurses to postal workers and more. (Enlisted service people are considered government employees but aren't included in this figure because they're not civilians.)

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The Leader of the Executive Branch is Donald J Trump.

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The Leader of the Executive Branch is Donald J Trump.

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As of now the main leader of the Executive Branch is Donald Trump being the president.

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Roles are organized by hierarchical structure.

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Roles are organized by hierarchical structure.

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The Executive Branch is organized by who is stronger because it says that its organized by hierarchical meaning its organized that way.

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From the President, to the Vice President, to the Cabinet, learn more about the Executive Branch of the government of the United States.

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The Executive Branch is able to pass or implement laws...

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The Executive Branch is able to pass or implement laws...

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The Executive Branch has the ability to enforce laws or implement laws that get passed by Congress.

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From the President, to the Vice President, to the Cabinet, learn more about the Executive Branch of the government of the United States.

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The Executive Branch members get their job there by having appointments!

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The Executive Branch members get their job there by having appointments!

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There are 4 types of appointments for Executive Branch

1. Presidential Appointments Requiring Senate Confirmation or (PAS)

2. Presidential Appointments Not Requiring Senate Confirmation or (PA)

3. Non-Career Senior Executive Service or (SES)

4. Confidential or Policymaking Positions or (Schedule C (SC))

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Federal Executive Branch Appointments Project | ACS

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Some Requirements/Qualifications for the Executive Branch is...

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Some Requirements/Qualifications for the Executive Branch is...

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To work in the executive branch, you generally need to be a U.S. citizen, be at least 18 years old, and pass a background investigation. Certain roles have more requirements, such as meeting the five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions, containing certain education or skills, or meeting constitutional requirements for high level offices like the presidency.