Data / Rankings / Government payroll employment / US states

US states by government payroll employment

California had the highest government payroll employment of 51 states in March 2026, at 2,675,600 jobs. Vermont had the lowest, at 56,300 jobs. The median was 325,800 jobs and the figure for the United States was 23,333,000 jobs. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest2,675,600California
Lowest56,300Vermont
Median325,80051 states
United States23,333,000History

Map of states, March 2026

Alabama: 428,500 jobsAlaska: 77,200 jobsArizona: 426,900 jobsArkansas: 204,300 jobsCalifornia: 2,675,600 jobsColorado: 487,200 jobsConnecticut: 235,300 jobsDelaware: 71,500 jobsDistrict of Columbia: 207,700 jobsFlorida: 1,141,500 jobsGeorgia: 710,100 jobsHawaii: 124,800 jobsIdaho: 129,700 jobsIllinois: 854,300 jobsIndiana: 421,600 jobsIowa: 267,600 jobsKansas: 258,900 jobsKentucky: 316,400 jobsLouisiana: 325,800 jobsMaine: 103,000 jobsMaryland: 524,200 jobsMassachusetts: 474,600 jobsMichigan: 634,600 jobsMinnesota: 437,000 jobsMississippi: 236,500 jobsMissouri: 431,400 jobsMontana: 91,200 jobsNebraska: 178,500 jobsNevada: 183,700 jobsNew Hampshire: 86,100 jobsNew Jersey: 621,100 jobsNew Mexico: 191,900 jobsNew York: 1,517,600 jobsNorth Carolina: 776,400 jobsNorth Dakota: 86,800 jobsOhio: 790,500 jobsOklahoma: 369,900 jobsOregon: 313,300 jobsPennsylvania: 699,300 jobsRhode Island: 64,700 jobsSouth Carolina: 398,600 jobsSouth Dakota: 81,200 jobsTennessee: 455,600 jobsTexas: 2,130,600 jobsUtah: 275,900 jobsVermont: 56,300 jobsVirginia: 758,300 jobsWashington: 610,700 jobsWest Virginia: 146,000 jobsWisconsin: 407,700 jobsWyoming: 71,300 jobs
  • Under 100K
  • 100K to 210K
  • 210K to 330K
  • 330K to 440K
  • 440K to 710K
  • 710K and over
jobs, March 2026. Source: BLS, Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, March 2026

California: 2,675,600 jobsCalifornia2,675,600Texas: 2,130,600 jobsTexas2,130,600New York: 1,517,600 jobsNew York1,517,600Florida: 1,141,500 jobsFlorida1,141,500Illinois: 854,300 jobsIllinois854,300Ohio: 790,500 jobsOhio790,500North Carolina: 776,400 jobsNorth Carolina776,400Virginia: 758,300 jobsVirginia758,300Georgia: 710,100 jobsGeorgia710,100Pennsylvania: 699,300 jobsPennsylvania699,300Michigan: 634,600 jobsMichigan634,600New Jersey: 621,100 jobsNew Jersey621,100Washington: 610,700 jobsWashington610,700Maryland: 524,200 jobsMaryland524,200Colorado: 487,200 jobsColorado487,200Massachusetts: 474,600 jobsMassachusetts474,600Tennessee: 455,600 jobsTennessee455,600Minnesota: 437,000 jobsMinnesota437,000Missouri: 431,400 jobsMissouri431,400Alabama: 428,500 jobsAlabama428,500Arizona: 426,900 jobsArizona426,900Indiana: 421,600 jobsIndiana421,600Wisconsin: 407,700 jobsWisconsin407,700South Carolina: 398,600 jobsSouth Carolina398,600Oklahoma: 369,900 jobsOklahoma369,900Louisiana: 325,800 jobsLouisiana325,800Kentucky: 316,400 jobsKentucky316,400Oregon: 313,300 jobsOregon313,300Utah: 275,900 jobsUtah275,900Iowa: 267,600 jobsIowa267,600Kansas: 258,900 jobsKansas258,900Mississippi: 236,500 jobsMississippi236,500Connecticut: 235,300 jobsConnecticut235,300District of Columbia: 207,700 jobsDistrict of Columbia207,700Arkansas: 204,300 jobsArkansas204,300New Mexico: 191,900 jobsNew Mexico191,900Nevada: 183,700 jobsNevada183,700Nebraska: 178,500 jobsNebraska178,500West Virginia: 146,000 jobsWest Virginia146,000Idaho: 129,700 jobsIdaho129,700Hawaii: 124,800 jobsHawaii124,800Maine: 103,000 jobsMaine103,000Montana: 91,200 jobsMontana91,200North Dakota: 86,800 jobsNorth Dakota86,800New Hampshire: 86,100 jobsNew Hampshire86,100South Dakota: 81,200 jobsSouth Dakota81,200Alaska: 77,200 jobsAlaska77,200Delaware: 71,500 jobsDelaware71,500Wyoming: 71,300 jobsWyoming71,300Rhode Island: 64,700 jobsRhode Island64,700Vermont: 56,300 jobsVermont56,300California: 2,675,600 jobsCalifornia2,675,600Texas: 2,130,600 jobsTexas2,130,600New York: 1,517,600 jobsNew York1,517,600Florida: 1,141,500 jobsFlorida1,141,500Illinois: 854,300 jobsIllinois854,300Ohio: 790,500 jobsOhio790,500North Carolina: 776,400 jobsNorth Carolina776,400Virginia: 758,300 jobsVirginia758,300Georgia: 710,100 jobsGeorgia710,100Pennsylvania: 699,300 jobsPennsylvania699,300Michigan: 634,600 jobsMichigan634,600New Jersey: 621,100 jobsNew Jersey621,100Washington: 610,700 jobsWashington610,700Maryland: 524,200 jobsMaryland524,200Colorado: 487,200 jobsColorado487,200Massachusetts: 474,600 jobsMassachusetts474,600Tennessee: 455,600 jobsTennessee455,600Minnesota: 437,000 jobsMinnesota437,000Missouri: 431,400 jobsMissouri431,400Alabama: 428,500 jobsAlabama428,500Arizona: 426,900 jobsArizona426,900Indiana: 421,600 jobsIndiana421,600Wisconsin: 407,700 jobsWisconsin407,700South Carolina: 398,600 jobsSouth Carolina398,600Oklahoma: 369,900 jobsOklahoma369,900Louisiana: 325,800 jobsLouisiana325,800Kentucky: 316,400 jobsKentucky316,400Oregon: 313,300 jobsOregon313,300Utah: 275,900 jobsUtah275,900Iowa: 267,600 jobsIowa267,600Kansas: 258,900 jobsKansas258,900Mississippi: 236,500 jobsMississippi236,500Connecticut: 235,300 jobsConnecticut235,300District of Columbia: 207,700 jobsDistrict of Columbia207,700Arkansas: 204,300 jobsArkansas204,300New Mexico: 191,900 jobsNew Mexico191,900Nevada: 183,700 jobsNevada183,700Nebraska: 178,500 jobsNebraska178,500West Virginia: 146,000 jobsWest Virginia146,000Idaho: 129,700 jobsIdaho129,700Hawaii: 124,800 jobsHawaii124,800Maine: 103,000 jobsMaine103,000Montana: 91,200 jobsMontana91,200North Dakota: 86,800 jobsNorth Dakota86,800New Hampshire: 86,100 jobsNew Hampshire86,100South Dakota: 81,200 jobsSouth Dakota81,200Alaska: 77,200 jobsAlaska77,200Delaware: 71,500 jobsDelaware71,500Wyoming: 71,300 jobsWyoming71,300Rhode Island: 64,700 jobsRhode Island64,700Vermont: 56,300 jobsVermont56,300
jobs. Source: BLS, Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStatesMarch 2026
jobs		Change on March 2025
1California2,675,600-1.5%
2Texas2,130,600-0%
3New York1,517,600+0.4%
4Florida1,141,500-1%
5Illinois854,300+0.4%
6Ohio790,500-0.3%
7North Carolina776,400+0.7%
8Virginia758,300-0.6%
9Georgia710,100-0.9%
10Pennsylvania699,300-0.5%
11Michigan634,600+1.6%
12New Jersey621,100-0.8%
13Washington610,700-1.3%
14Maryland524,200-3.8%
15Colorado487,200-0.7%
16Massachusetts474,600+0.1%
17Tennessee455,600+0.4%
18Minnesota437,000+0.5%
19Missouri431,400-1.7%
20Alabama428,500+0.7%
21Arizona426,900-1.7%
22Indiana421,600-2.9%
23Wisconsin407,700-1.9%
24South Carolina398,600+1.1%
25Oklahoma369,900-0.7%
26Louisiana325,800+0.1%
27Kentucky316,400-0.3%
28Oregon313,300-1%
29Utah275,900-0.2%
30Iowa267,600-0.7%
31Kansas258,900-0.5%
32Mississippi236,500-0.9%
33Connecticut235,300-0.4%
34District of Columbia207,700-11.7%
35Arkansas204,300-0.8%
36New Mexico191,900-0.3%
37Nevada183,700-0.4%
38Nebraska178,5000%
39West Virginia146,000-1.7%
40Idaho129,700-0.1%
41Hawaii124,800-3.3%
42Maine103,000+0.1%
43Montana91,200-1.6%
44North Dakota86,800+0.5%
45New Hampshire86,100-2.2%
46South Dakota81,200-1%
47Alaska77,200-3.5%
48Delaware71,500-0.3%
49Wyoming71,300-0.6%
50Rhode Island64,700-1.5%
51Vermont56,300-0.4%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of jobs on government payrolls in the month, seasonally adjusted, from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The supersector covers federal, state and local government, including public schools, public hospitals and the Postal Service; active-duty military personnel are excluded.

One of the eleven CES supersectors that make up nonfarm_payroll_employment. Counts jobs on nonfarm payrolls, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. It covers full-time and part-time employees paid for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th of the month, and excludes the self-employed, farm workers, private household workers and unpaid family workers.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001) (US states by government payroll employment, 2026-03) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current

MLA 9

Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001), US states by government payroll employment, 2026-03. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 Sept. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-jobs/us-states?period=2026-03. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). US states by government payroll employment, 2026-03. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-jobs/us-states?period=2026-03.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001), US states by government payroll employment, 2026-03 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-jobs/us-states?period=2026-03 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_government_2026,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001): US states by government payroll employment, 2026-03}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-jobs/us-states?period=2026-03. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001): US states by government payroll employment, 2026-03
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/18
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-jobs/us-states?period=2026-03
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/government-jobs/us-states?period=2026-03.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/sm/sm.data.76.Government.Current. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which state has the highest government payroll employment?

California, with 2,675,600 jobs in March 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest government payroll employment?

Vermont, with 56,300 jobs in March 2026.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, State and Area: all employees, government, statewide, seasonally adjusted (SMS, state, 000009000000001). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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