{"id":13553,"date":"2019-10-23T08:26:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T12:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opsweb.wpengine.com\/?p=13553"},"modified":"2020-10-21T16:00:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T20:00:40","slug":"a-different-way-of-thinking-about-the-size-of-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/blog\/a-different-way-of-thinking-about-the-size-of-government\/","title":{"rendered":"A different way of thinking about the size of government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the public debate about the \u201cproper\u201d size of government,\nthe discussion often overlooks the fact that the number of federal employees\nrelative to the size of the U.S. population has been shrinking. Even as the\nnumber and complexity of services provided by government has increased over the\nyears, the amount of federal civilian employees has stayed relatively stable. In\nabsolute terms, today\u2019s workforce of about 2 million people is smaller\nthan the workforce<\/a> that served at the height of Lyndon Johnson\u2019s Great\nSociety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge for government is that the U.S. population that employees now serve is 329 million people<\/a>\u2014130 million more people than there were in 1967<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau and Office of Personnel Management <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The graph above shows the federal workforce as a percentage of the total U.S. population is at a near historic low. In fact, the federal workforce as a share of the population has fallen by 14% just since 2010, driven by a net loss of 12,400 employees and an increase in population of 17 million people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end\nof fiscal 2018, the workforce represented 0.6% of the population, a far cry\nfrom the historic high of nearly 2.5% in 1945. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because federal agencies are serving a growing population with a workforce that is shrinking in proportion, efficiency is critically important. Whether agency leaders are working to improve the customer experience at government agencies<\/a> or reduce improper payments by government programs<\/a>, they must find ways to use data<\/a> and technologies, such as artificial intelligence<\/a>, to transform how government does business. And with this transformation, the workforce will also have to evolve<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you interested in more insights on the federal workforce? Check out our other in-depth analyses in the Fed Figures series:<\/p>\n\n\n\n