Federal Workforce Shrank by 12 Percent in Trump’s First Year Back in Office

The latest figures reflect the president’s effort to fulfill his pledge to reduce the federal bureaucracy.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website is displayed on a phone, in this photo illustration. Oleksii Pydsosonnii/The Epoch Times

The U.S. government’s civilian workforce shrank by about 12 percent over the first year of the second Trump administration, the latest federal data show.

Figures updated on March 4 by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) indicate that as of Jan. 20, 2026, the federal civilian headcount stood at 2,035,344—a net decrease of 264,228 employees compared with the level on Jan. 20, 2025, right before President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.