Federal Workforce in DC Area Has Shrunk by About 22,000 People

Workers arrive at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on July 11.

Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

The federal government workforce in and around the nation’s capital has shrunk by about 22,100 in the year through May, a new report shows, and that number is poised to mount.

Federal workers across Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia found themselves particularly vulnerable to the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce government jobs and spending. Maryland saw the steepest decline in its federal workforce, dropping 5.4%, followed by Virginia, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.