Rep. Mike Johnson says Dems’ stance could lead to the closure on October 1st
House Speaker Mike Johnson says Democrats may force government shutdowns as the deadline is approaching October 1st.
Government closures affect hundreds of thousands of federal workers across the country, but some states may see longer lines than others when applying for unemployment benefits.
The number of federal workers in each state varies widely, some over 150,000, and some over thousands.
The District of Columbia is not a state, but the epicenter of the US government, with one in five working in the federal government. Washington, DC has the largest number of federal employees, according to 2024 government data. Among the states, California tops the list with 150,679 federal workers, with Vermont at the bottom of 3,368.
To see the number of federal workers in your state, check out our interactive map.
However, on a per capita basis, Golden State ranks near the bottom of the 39th out of 50 states. Maryland has the highest number of federal workers per capita, followed by Oshima in Hawaii and Virginia. See this list.
Medora Lee is a money, market and personal finance reporter for USA Today. You can contact her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free daily money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday to Friday morning.
