Public employment in United States
United States: Public employment was 159,150 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Public employment in United States, 1985–2023
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
In 2023, public employment in United States stood at 159,150. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public employment in United States peaked at 159,150 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 97,532, in 1985.
That places United States 1st out of 47 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Public employment in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 97,532 | — |
| 1986 | 99,500 | +2.0% |
| 1987 | 102,116 | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 105,378 | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 108,051 | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 109,527 | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 108,427 | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 108,802 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 110,935 | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 114,398 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 117,407 | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 119,836 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 122,951 | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 126,157 | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 129,240 | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 132,024 | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 132,087 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 130,649 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 130,347 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 131,787 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 134,051 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 136,453 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 137,999 | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 143,283 | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 137,105 | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 134,714 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 136,258 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 138,885 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 141,103 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 143,758 | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 146,634 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 148,735 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 150,654 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 153,176 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 155,325 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 146,544 | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 150,637 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 156,277 | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 159,150 | +1.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 159,150 is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,278, 48.6× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 102,515 | 97,532 | 108,051 | 5 |
| 1990s | 116,768 | 108,427 | 129,240 | 10 |
| 2000s | 134,578 | 130,347 | 143,283 | 10 |
| 2010s | 144,924 | 134,714 | 155,325 | 10 |
| 2020s | 153,152 | 146,544 | 159,150 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public employment in United States?
- Public employment in United States was 159,150 in 2023, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest public employment recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 159,150 in 2023.
- What is the lowest public employment recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 97,532 in 1985.
- How does United States rank for public employment?
- United States ranks 1st out of 47 countries with data for 2023.
- Is public employment rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Public employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
With the aim of promoting international comparability, statistics presented on ILOSTAT are based on standard international definitions wherever feasible and may differ from official national figures. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. For time series comparability, it includes countries that have implemented the 19th ICLS standards, for which data are also available in the Work Statistics -- 19th ICLS (WORK) database. The total public sector employment covers all employment of general government sector as defined in System of National Accounts 1993 plus employment of publicly owned enterprises and companies, resident and operating at central, state (or regional) and local levels of government. It covers all persons employed directly by those institutions, without regard for the particular type of employment contract. See the working paper: Statistics on Public Sector Employment: Methodology, Structures and Trends. For more information, refer to the Labour Force Statistics (LFS and STLFS) database description.