With mass layoffs, return-to-office mandates, and the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offers, 2025 was a tumultuous year for federal workers. New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is now showing just how much the federal workforce has been impacted.
The region had 52,900 fewer federal jobs in November 2025 as compared to December 2024. That’s according to a monthly Washington Economy Watch report from the Stephen S. Fuller Institute at George Mason University, which is based on BLS data.
By November 2025, jobs had dropped to 327,100, down from 380,000 in December 2024. The last time federal employment was this low in the region was late 2001, the report said.
And federal unemployment in the DC region declined more sharply than the nation overall, according to the report. Between November 2024 and November 2025, federal employment in the Washington region dropped 13.8 percent month over year. That’s 4.8 percentage points more than the national rate of 9 percent.
By sub-region, Northern Virginia actually saw the least amount of change, with a 12.8 percent decline. Maryland counties saw the most significant decreases: Montgomery and Frederick counties were down 18 percent together, while Prince George’s and Charles counties decreased by 14.6 percent. DC had the next-greatest change at 13 percent.
Overall unemployment is also higher in Virginia, Maryland, and DC, the BLS data showed. Virginia’s unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in November 2025 as compared to 2.9 percent in November 2024. DC’s was 6.5 percent, up from 5.3 percent; Maryland was at 4.2 percent, up from 3.1 percent.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
