US Federal Workforce Falls to 2.7 Million, Lowest Level in 60 Years Under Trump The US federal workforce has dropped to about 2.7 million employees, the lowest in 60 years, after the Trump administration cut more than 300,000 workers since January 2025. Despite the downsizing, federal salary spending rose 3% to nearly $244 billion. The US federal workforce has plunged to about 2.7 million employees under the Trump administration, the lowest level in 60 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Federal Workforce Drops to 60-Year LowThe government has shed more than 300,000 workers since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, shrinking the federal workforce by about 11% in the first year of Trump's second term. The monthly assessment does not count active military personnel, who number about 1.35 million, or employees at America's intelligence agencies, who add about 100,000 more workers.The federal workforce previously hit a non-Census 30-year high of more than 3 million in January 2025, just as Trump was taking office. It also surges during Census years, hitting 3.4 million in 2010 and nearly 3.2 million in 2020. Trump campaigned on a promise to shrink the federal government, giving Elon Musk, the richest person on Earth, free rein to purge employee payrolls to find savings under his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.The biggest cuts occurred at the end of September 2025, when more than 150,000 federal employees accepted buyouts from the government. That resulted in the largest single-year exodus of civil servants in nearly 80 years. The Department of Homeland Security was a notable exception, with its headcount barely changing since Trump took office and rolled out his anti-immigration policies. Despite the downsizing, the government has yet to see any notable savings.Salary Spending Rises Despite Major CutsIt spent close to $244 billion on federal salaries during Trump's first year in office, 3% more than during the same period under former President Joe Biden. That figure comes from an analysis of daily spending figures released by the Treasury Department. The data shows that cutting hundreds of thousands of positions has not translated into a smaller salary bill. The workforce reduction has been driven by buyouts, layoffs and attrition across federal agencies.Laid off US State Department employees have been seen carrying boxes as they walked out of the Harry S. Truman Federal Building in Washington. The cuts have reshaped the federal government at a scale not seen in decades. The workforce is now at its smallest level since the 1960s, even as the US population and economy have grown substantially.Federal Service Impacts Remain UncertainActive military personnel and intelligence agency employees are excluded from the monthly assessment, meaning the total number of people on the federal payroll is higher than the 2.7 million figure. The White House has defended the effort as a way to reduce waste and improve efficiency. Critics say the reductions could weaken federal services and hurt workers who lost their jobs.Trump gave Musk broad authority to cut payrolls under DOGE, making the billionaire a central figure in the administration's push to shrink government. The results have been mixed on spending, with salary costs still rising. The 11% decline in the federal workforce since January 2025 marks one of the most rapid reductions in modern US history. The end-of-September buyouts alone accounted for more than 150,000 departures.Homeland Security's stable headcount reflects the administration's focus on immigration enforcement. Other agencies absorbed the bulk of the cuts, including the State Department. The 3% increase in salary spending under Trump compared with Biden suggests that severance, buyouts and remaining higher-paid positions have kept costs elevated despite fewer workers. With the workforce at a 60-year low, the long-term effects on federal operations, hiring and public services remain uncertain.The Bureau of Labor Statistics figures provide the clearest picture yet of the scale of the change.