Employment
In 2004, the Federal Government, excluding the Postal Service employed about 1.9 million civilian workers, or about 1.3 percent of the Nation's workforce. The Federal Government is the Nation's single largest employer. Because data on employment in certain agencies can not be released to the public for National security reasons, this total does not include employment for the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and National Imagery and Mapping Agency.
The Federal Government makes an effort to have a workforce as diverse as the nation's civilian labor force. The Federal Government serves as a model for all employers in abiding by equal employment opportunity legislation, which protects current and potential employees from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age. The Federal Government also makes an effort to recruit and accommodate persons with disabilities.
Even though the headquarters of most Federal departments and agencies are based in the Washington, DC area, only 1 out of 6 Federal employees worked in the vicinity of the Nation's Capital in 2004. In addition to Federal employees working throughout the United States, another 93,000, which includes foreign nationals, are assigned overseas, mostly in embassies or defense installations.