Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, about one in five federal employees has left government service, representing a turnover rate significantly higher than that seen under recent administrations, according to a detailed analysis of federal workforce data. This reduction has led to a substantial shrinking of the federal workforce and has disproportionately impacted Black federal workers.
Between December 2024 and June 2026, approximately 426,000 full-time civilian federal employees departed, amounting to nearly 20 percent of the workforce, which initially numbered around 2.2 million. This rate of exits exceeds comparable figures from previous administrations, including President Joe Biden’s and Trump’s own first terms. The largest monthly departure occurred in September 2025, coinciding with administration incentives encouraging resignation and early retirement, when nearly 121,000 employees left federal service.
After accounting for new hires and some reinstatements—often resulting from court orders in lawsuits filed by dismissed staff—overall federal employment still declined by roughly 255,000 workers, a reduction of about 12 percent. Such levels represent a workforce size last seen during President Barack Obama’s first term. The analysis relied on data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and other federal sources, alongside publicly available surveys.
The workforce reductions have disproportionately affected Black federal employees, who historically have represented a higher share of government positions than their proportion of the U.S. population. The most recent official demographic data from OPM, released in September 2024, indicated that Black workers made up nearly 19 percent of the federal workforce, compared with about 12 percent of the national population. However, through analysis of Census Bureau household surveys, which include federal contractors and Postal Service employees, the estimated number of Black federal workers fell by an estimated 30 percent between late 2024 and late 2025. In comparison, employment among other racial groups in the federal government declined by around 4 percent during the same period.
Hire patterns in 2026 have shifted demographics further. Black federal employment has declined an estimated 20 percent compared to the same months in 2024, while Hispanic employment increased by about 6 percent. Employment for White workers dropped roughly 4 percent, and Asian employment remained relatively steady.
Internally, federal documents reveal that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting unit established under Trump’s second administration and initially overseen by Elon Musk, targeted hundreds of jobs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs for elimination. A DOGE plan specified closure of 225 offices with DEI responsibilities and outlined employee outcomes ranging from firings to reassignments. Review of organizational data suggests that just over half of affected employees were Black, while the remainder were primarily White, Asian, and Hispanic. The Department of Health and Human Services faced the largest share of these cuts, followed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department.
Additionally, a conservative advocacy group, the American Accountability Foundation, highlighted 93 federal employees on a so-called “DEI Watchlist,” identifying career staff associated with DEI initiatives. About two-thirds of those named are Black. According to this analysis, as of October 2026, 50 remain employed by the government, 15 have left federal service for other jobs, and 28 are unemployed. Black employees on this list were more likely than others to be unemployed following their departures.
The Office of Personnel Management emphasized that most of the workforce reductions resulted from voluntary resignations or retirements. Its director, Scott Kupor, noted that only around 32,000 federal employees were directly terminated during this period, suggesting that the turnover reflects a mix of voluntary exits and administrative decisions.
Overall, these workforce changes under the Trump administration illustrate a marked shift in federal employment patterns, with significant implications for workforce diversity and the future composition of the federal bureaucracy.