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UNITED STATES
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
FEDERAL WORKFORCE
OVERVIEW
FY 1994 - FY 2004
SPECIAL FOCUS
RESEARCH BRIEF
UNITED STATES OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Working
for
America
April 2006
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 1
Introduction
This research brief provides an overview of observed trends and demographic changes in the
Federal workforce from FY 1994 to FY 2004. Topics covered in the following pages range from
age distribution of new hires to characteristics of retirees.
Age
Between FY 1994 and FY 2004, the age distribution of full-time permanent (FTP) white-collar
federal employees shifted toward older age brackets, as observed in Figure 1 below. This
coincides with the average age of white-collar FTP employees increasing from 43.6 to 46.7
years of age during the same ten-year span.
Figure 1:
Age Distribution Trends
FY1994 FY1999 FY2004
25%
Percent of Workforce
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
< 20 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 > 65
Age
Figure 2 examines the specific percentage changes in defined age brackets. The largest
percentage decreases are observed within the 25-29 and 30-34 groups. Between FY 1994 and
FY 2004, the number of 30- to 34-year-olds decreased 4.3%, lowering its share of the overall
FTP white-collar federal workforce from 12.1 to 7.8 percent. Similarly, the 25-29 age cohort
decreased 3.4%, lowering its share from 7.8 to 4.4 percent.
Conversely, the largest percentage increases were seen in the 50-54 and 55-59 age brackets.
The 50-54 group increased 6.1% in size, bringing its share of the FTP white-collar federal
workforce to 19.3 percent. The second largest increase was seen within the 55-59 group,
whose share of the FTP white-collar federal workforce increased 5.6% between FY 1994 and
FY 2004, resulting in a share of about 14 percent of the FTP white-collar federal workforce.
Together, as of FY 2004, 50- to 59-year-olds comprise roughly one-third of the FTP white-collar
workforce.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 2
Figure 2:
FTP White-collar Federal Workforce Percentage Changes FY 1994 to FY 2004
8%
6%
Percent Change
4%
2%
0%
< 20 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 > 65
-2%
-4%
-6%
Occupational Family
White-collar occupations are grouped into families, represented by the first two numbers of the
four-digit occupation series code. The last two numbers of the series distinguish the specific
occupation title. For example, 0408 Ecology, 0410 Zoology, 0415 Toxicology, 0430 Botany, and
0460 Forestry are all part of the larger 04xx Biological Sciences family. See the appendix for a
complete list of the twenty-three white-collar occupational families with examples of a few of the
most populous titles within the family.
Figure 3 demonstrates how only six of the twenty-three occupational families experienced a
percentage increase in employment between FY 1994 and FY 2004, whereas seventeen
experienced a decrease. Notable increases include the Copyright, Patent, and Trademark
family (72%), Miscellaneous Occupations family 1 (54%), and the Investigations family (39%).
Notable decreases include the Supply family (-41%), Quality Assurance and Inspection family
(-39%), as well as the Administrative and Clerical family (-32%). 2
1
Miscellaneous Occupations family consists largely of public safety and enforcement personnel.
2
A reclassification from 0334 to 2210 was taken into account, yet a decrease in the occupational family is still
evident.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 3
Figure 3:
Percentage Changes in Occupational Family FY 1994 to FY 2004
12-Co pyrght/Pat
00-M isc Occups
18-Investigatio ns
22-Info M gmt
09-Legal & Kind
01-So c Sciences
21-Transport
15-M aths/Stats
06-M ed/Hsp/Hlth
04-Bio Sciences
07-Vet M ed
10-Info /Arts
1
1 -Business/Ind
14-Libr/Archvs
02-HR M gmt
05-Acct/Budgtng
13-Phys Scis
17-Educatio n
08-Engr/Architec
16-Equip/Facil
03-A dmin
19-QA /Inspect
20-Supply
-60% -40% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Percent Change
Occupational Category
In an even broader classification than occupational family, all white-collar occupations fall into
one of five occupational categories: Professional, Administrative, Technical, Clerical, or “Other”
(referred to as PATCO).
Figure 4 examines the distributions of occupational categories for FY 1994, FY 1999, and FY
2004. There is an increasing trend in the administrative category, complemented by a
decreasing trend in the clerical category. Administrative jobs have increased from 33.2 to 40.7
percent over the ten-year span, while clerical jobs have decreased from 15.1 to 7.1 percent.
This trend is likely due to increased automation of tasks within the Federal government.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 4
Figure 4:
Occupational Category Trends
1994 1999 2004
45%
40%
35%
orkforce
30%
25%
Percent of W
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Professional Administrative Technical Clerical Other
Occupational Category
Accessions
As Figure 5 below illustrates, the average age of a newly hired Federal employee was older in
FY 2004 than it was in FY 1994. At 36.5, the average age of a person hired without prior
Federal service was 2.5 years older than the average in 1994. Similarly, the average age of
persons hired with prior Federal service rose by 2 years, bringing that figure to 39.5.
Figure 5:
Average Age at Hire
No Prior Service Prior Service
40
39
38
37
Age
36
35
34
33
1994 1999 2004
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 5
In FY 1994, 55.5 percent of persons hired had no prior Federal service. By FY 2004, that
portion of new hires had grown to 65.7 percent.
Figure 6 demonstrates that there has been a shift in the age distribution of new hires, consistent
with the comments above regarding the increasing average age. In FY 2004, the distribution
had begun to flatten out a bit more, tending toward the older age brackets than in FY 1994.
Figure 6:
Age Distribution of New Hires
1994 1999 2004
20
18
16
Percent of Hires
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
< 20 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 > 65
Age
The occupational family with the highest average age of new hires is the Veterinary Medical
Science family. The youngest average age is observed within the Copyright, Patent, and
Trademark family. Figure 7 summarizes the FY 2004 average age of all twenty-three
occupational families.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 6
Figure 7:
Average Age of FY 2004 New Hires by Occupational Family
07-Vet M ed
16-Equip/Facil
17-Educat ion
14-Libr/ Archvs
06-M ed/ Hsp/Hlth
21-Transport
03-Admin
10-Info/ Arts
ily
22-Info M gmt
O cupational Fam
02-HR M gmt
20-Supply
1
1 -Business/ Ind
05-Acct /Budgtng
13-Phys Scis
c
09-Legal & Kind
01-Soc Sciences
00-M isc Occups
19-QA/ Inspect
18-Investigations
08-Engr/ Architec
04-Bio Sciences
15-M at hs/St ats
12-Copyrght/ Pat
0 10 20 30 40 50
Average Age
Of interest to many people is average salary and grade. As Figures 8 and 9 demonstrate, there
has been a steady increase in the average salary and grade of new hires. Those hired with
prior Federal service have a higher starting salary, but those hired without prior Federal service
have higher starting grades. Any analysis made, however, must consider the changes incurred
to the government pay system over the past few decades.
In the early 1970s, nearly all white-collar Federal employees were governed by the General
Schedule (GS) pay plan. Since that time, many new pay plans have been created, often at the
agency level. To bridge the gap, OPM developed a formula to account for the new pay plans,
creating a new data element referred to as “GS and related grade.” Still, not all new pay plans
can be bridged. By September 2004, fewer than 84 percent of Federal employees worked
under the GS pay plan and roughly 6 percent were covered under GS and related. Thus, one
must bear this in mind when interpreting Figure 9, which reports on 90% of the FTP white-collar
federal workforce.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 7
Figure 8:
Average Salary at Hire
No Prior Service Prior Service
$48,000
$47,000
$46,000
$45,000
Salary
$44,000
$43,000
$42,000
$41,000
$40,000
1994 1999 2004
Figure 9:
Average GS and Related Grade at Hire
No Prior Service Prior Service
8.3
8.1
7.9
Grade
7.7
7.5
7.3
7.1
6.9
1994 1999 2004
Of all occupational families, the Information Management family has the highest average salary
for new hires. The Supply family has the lowest average salary for new hires. The complete list
for all occupational families is given below in Figure 10.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 8
Figure 10:
Average Salary of New Hires by Occupational Family
INFO M ANAGEM ENT-22
M ATHS & STATS-15
CPYRT, PTNT & TRDM K-12
PHYS SCIENCES-13
ENGR & ARCH-08
S SCI, PSYCH & WLF-01
TRANSPORT-21
Occupational Family
LEGAL & KNDRD-09
VET M EDICINE-07
INFO & ARTS-10
EQUP, FACL & SVCS-16
M ED & PUB HLTH-06
ACNTG & BDGT-05
ADM IN & CLER-03
QA, INSPCT & GRDG-19
BUSINESS & INDUS-11
HUM AN RESC M GM T-02
EDUCATION-17
INVESTIGATION-18
BIO SCIENCES-04
LIB & ARCHIVES-14
M ISC OCCUPATIONS-00
SUPPLY-20
$0 $20,000 $40,000 $60,000 $80,000
Average Salary
Separations
At the beginning of FY 2004, separation rates were highest among the following occupational
families: Miscellaneous Occupations; Copyright, Patent, and Trademark; Medical, Hospital,
Dental, and Public Health; Education; and Veterinary Medical Science. These families were
also among those that hired most aggressively.
Currently, the average age at separation — excluding retirement — is 40.6 years old. This
statistic varies considerably between occupational families, ranging from 33.6 years in the
Copyright, Patent, and Trademark family to 48.2 years for the Quality Assurance, Inspection,
and Grading family.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 9
The average age of separation by retirement in FY 2004 is 58.7 years. This figure is lowest in
the Miscellaneous Occupation family, where the average age is 56.3, and highest in the
Veterinary Medical Science family, where the average age is 63.3. 3
Figure 11 juxtaposes, at the occupational family level, average age at retirement and at other
types of separation.
Figure 11:
Average Age at Retirement and Other Separation FY 2004
Other Seperations Retirement
VET M EDICINE-07
CPYRT, PTNT & TRDM K-12
EDUCATION-1 7
PHYS SCIENCES-1 3
LIB & ARCHIVES-14
ENGR & ARCH-08
Occupational Family
M ED & PUB HLTH-06
INFO & ARTS-10
QA, INSPCT & GRDG-1 9
M ATHS & STATS-1 5
BIO SCIENCES-04
ACNTG & BDGT-05
ADM IN & CLER-03
LEGAL & KNDRD-09
EQUP, FACL & SVCS-1 6
BUSINESS & INDUS-1 1
SUPPLY-20
S SCI, PSYCH & WLF-01
INFO M ANAGEM ENT-22
HUM AN RESC M GM T-02
TRANSPORT-21
INVESTIGATION-1 8
M ISC OCCUPATIONS-00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Age
The narrowest differences between average age of retirement and other separation were
observed in the Equipment, Facilities, and Services occupational family (10.5 years) and the
Quality Assurance, Inspection, and Grading family (11.1 years). Conversely, the widest
differences between average age of retirement and other separation were detected in the
Copyright, Patent, and Trademark family (27.8 years) and the Mathematics and Statistics family
(24.9 years). Recall, also, that the Copyright, Patent, and Trademark family and the
Mathematics and Statistics family had the two youngest average ages at time of hire.
As of FY 2004, the average length of service for a departing Federal employee—excluding
retirement—is 8.2 years. The average length of service upon retirement is 28.1 years. Figure
3
A significant number of individuals in the Miscellaneous Occupations family, the Investigation family and the
Transportation family are covered by lower age and length of service requirements which tend to force the
average age at retirement down in these categories.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 10
12 illustrates the varying lengths of service upon retirement or other separations broken down
by occupational family.
Figure 12:
Average Length of Service at Retirement and Other Separation FY 2004
Other Separation Retirement
BIO SCIENCES-04
PHYS SCIENCES-1 3
M ATHS & STATS-1 5
CPYRT, PTNT & TRDM K-1 2
ENGR & ARCH-08
EQUP, FACL & SVCS-1 6
Occupational Family
TRANSPORT-21
QA, INSPCT & GRDG-1 9
INFO M ANAGEM ENT-22
S SCI, PSYCH & WLF-01
HUM AN RESC M GM T-02
INFO & ARTS-10
BUSINESS & INDUS-1 1
INVESTIGATION-1 8
ADM IN & CLER-03
LEGAL & KNDRD-09
ACNTG & BDGT-05
LIB & ARCHIVES-1 4
VET M EDICINE-07
SUPPLY-20
M ISC OCCUPATIONS-00
M ED & PUB HLTH-06
EDUCATION-1 7
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Years
Retirement
In FY 2004, there were a grand total of 55,848 retirements from the entire Federal workforce.
The average age of retirees was 58.7. While this number has been slowly increasing in recent
years, the overall trend in the past ten years is nearly the same, with an average of 52,124
retirements per year at an average age of 58.0.
Figure 13 below traces the fluctuation in retirement counts in recent years.
Figure 13:
Yearly Retirement Counts FY 1990 – FY 2004
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 11
80,000
70,000
60,000
50,000
Retirements
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
FY1990 FY1991 FY1992 FY1993 FY1994 FY1995 FY1996 FY1997 FY1998 FY1999 FY2000 FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004
Fiscal Year
During 2004, 192,100 Federal employees were eligible for retirement from service, totaling
10.4percent of the workforce. Additionally, 303,000 employees were eligible for early-out
retirement, or 16.4 percent of the Federal workforce. Combined, these numbers indicate that
just over one-fourth of the Federal workforce could be eligible to retire.
An employee will, on average, work for 3.1 years after reaching retirement eligibility — males
average 3.3 and females average 2.7 years. Less than one in four employees that are eligible
for retirement actually retires in a given year. Figure 14 follows the pattern retirement rates in
recent years.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 12
Figure 14:
Retirement Rates among Those Eligible
35%
30%
25%
20% Voluntary
15% Early Out
10%
5%
0%
FY1990
FY1991
FY1992
FY1993
FY1994
FY1995
FY1996
FY1997
FY1998
FY1999
FY2000
FY2001
FY2002
FY2003
FY2004
One important trend to observe from the figure above is the declining rate of early-out
retirement, which can alleviate some of the concern raised by the prospect that 303,000
employees could be eligible under this authority. In FY 2004, there were a total of 7,587 early-
out retirements as compared to a 10-year average of 12,208.
Other interesting facts about retirement include the most popular month to retire is typically
January and the least popular month November. In FY 2004, 61 percent of retirements recorded
were by males, whereas 39 percent were by females. This compares to a FY 2004 workforce
distribution of 56 percent male and 44 percent female
Retirement Projections
Baby boomers heading toward retirement from the Federal workforce are a concern for many
human capital managers and planners. Using time series modeling techniques, it is projected
that nearly 61,000 non-seasonal full-time permanent Federal employees will retire in FY 2008.
It is further predicted that the numbers of retirements will peak around 2008 to 2010.
Another point to be made is that the number of retirements projected will continue to increase
each year from FY 2005 through FY 2010, capping off at 61,009. Thereafter, the number of
retirements is expected to begin decreasing. Again, these estimates are based on time series
modeling techniques, which tend to perform well for not-too-distant extrapolation but can rapidly
lose precision the further out estimation becomes.
United States Office of Personnel Management
Federal Workforce Overview: FY 1994 – FY 2004 13
Figure 15:
Actual Retirements versus Retirement Projections
(non-seasonal full-time permanent employees)
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
FY Actuals
20,000
2005 Projections
10,000
0
FY 99 FY 00 FY 01 FY 02 FY 03 FY 04 FY 05 FY 06 FY 07 FY 08 FY 09 FY 10 FY 11 FY 12 FY 13
United States Office of Personnel Management
APPENDIX
Appendix
Occupational Families with Most Populous Occupation(s)
0000 MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS FAMILY
Correctional Officer
Safety Technician (e.g., TSA screeners)
Environmental Protection
Security Administration
Fire Protection & Administration
Police
0100 SOCIAL SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, & WELFARE FAMILY
Social Science
Social Insurance Administration
Economist
Foreign Affairs
Intelligence
Social Work
0200 HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FAMILY
Human Resources Management
Human Resources Assistant
EE0
Wage & Hour Compliance
0300 GEN ADMIN, CLERICAL, & OFFICE SERVICE FAMILY
Miscellaneous Administration & Program
Miscellaneous Clerk & Assistant
Secretary
Program Management
Management & Program Analysis
Logistics Management
0400 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES FAMILY
General Biological Science
Biological Science Technician
Soil Conservation & Science
Forestry
Wildlife Biology
Fishery Biology
United States Office of Personnel Management
APPENDIX
0500 ACCOUNTING & BUDGET FAMILY
Financial Administration & Program
Accounting
Auditing
Internal Revenue Agent
Budget Analysis
Tax Examining
0600 MEDICAL, HOSPITAL, DENTAL, & PUBLIC HEALTH FAMILY
Medical Officer
Nurse (registered/practical/assistant)
Health Aid & Technician
Pharmacist & Pharmacy Technician
Medical Records Technician
Medical Support Assistance
0700 VETERINARY MEDICAL SCIENCE FAMILY
Veterinary Medical Science
Animal Health Technician
0800 ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE FAMILY
General Engineering
Engineering Technician
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Electronics Engineering
Aerospace Engineering
0900 LEGAL & KINDRED FAMILY
General Legal & Kindred Administration
General Attorney
Contact Representative
Paralegal Specialist
Legal Assistance
Veterans Claims Examining
1000 INFORMATION & ARTS FAMILY
General Arts & Information
Public Affairs
Audiovisual Production
Writing & Editing
Technical Writing & Editing
Visual Information
United States Office of Personnel Management
APPENDIX
1100 BUSINESS & INDUSTRY FAMILY
General Business & Industry
Contracting
Purchasing
Production Control
Loan Specialist
Internal Revenue Officer
1200 COPYRIGHT, PATENT, & TRADEMARK FAMILY
Patent Examining
Patent Attorney
1300 PHYSICAL SCIENCES FAMILY
General Physical Science
Physics
Hydrology
Chemistry
Meteorology
Geology
Cartography
1400 LIBRARY & ARCHIVES FAMILY
Librarian
Library Technician
Technical Information Services
Archives Technician
1500 MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS FAMILY
Operations Research
Mathematics
Mathematical Statistician
Statistician
Cryptanalysis
Computer Science
1600 EQUIPMENT, FACILITIES, & SERVICES FAMILY
Equipment, Facilities & Services
Facility Operations Services
Equipment Services
1700 EDUCATION FAMILY
General Education & Training
Education & Training Technician
Education & Vocational Training
Training Instruction
Instructional Systems
United States Office of Personnel Management
APPENDIX
1800 INVESTIGATION FAMILY
General Inspection, Investigation & Compliance
Compliance Inspection & Support
Criminal Investigating
Aviation Safety
Customs & Border Protection
Border Patrol Agent
1900 QUALITY ASSURANCE, INSPECTION, & GRADING FAMILY
Quality Assurance
Agricultural Commodity Grading
2000 SUPPLY FAMILY
General Supply
Supply Program Management
Supply Clerical & Technician
Inventory Management
Sales Store Clerical
2100 TRANSPORTATION FAMILY
Transportation Specialist
Transportation Clerk & Assistant
Traffic Management
Transportation Operations
Air Traffic Control
Aircraft Operation
2200 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FAMILY
Information Technology Management
United States Office of Personnel Management
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