Washington Metro Area Federal Workforce Shrinks to Lowest Level Since 1990

A new analysis by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) shows the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area lost 62,100 federal jobs between January 2025 and January 2026, a 16.5 percent drop that brings the federal workforce to its lowest level since 1990. Employment in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area fell by 103,900 jobs, and regional unemployment rose from 3.8 percent in December 2025 to 4.4 percent in January 2026.

PatchReport: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

The job losses occurred amid a federal downsizing effort led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). President Donald Trump created DOGE by executive order in January 2025 and appointed billionaire Elon Musk to head the agency, which operated until fall 2025. DOGE’s mandate to reduce the federal workforce contributed directly to cuts observed in the Washington region.

Report: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

Washington’s 16.5 percent decline outpaced peer metropolitan areas. Baltimore experienced a larger proportional loss at 20.5 percent, while New York and Philadelphia saw declines of 7.4 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively.

Patch

County-level unemployment increased. Fairfax County’s rate rose from 2.7 percent to 3.8 percent, Loudoun County’s from 2.7 percent to 3.7 percent, and Prince William County’s from 2.9 percent to 3.8 percent over twelve-month span.

Report: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

COG Executive Director Clark Mercer called the trend “stark” and said economic resilience requires coordinated action across public, private, nonprofit, and higher-education sectors. Noted that Mayor Bowser, Governor Spanberger, and Governor Moore have met to discuss workforce development and collaborations.

PatchReport: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

Economist Keith Waters of George Mason University warned the contraction follows a deferred retirement package taken by workers in October and has heavily impacted contractors.

Report: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

Waters expressed optimism that direct federal employment may rebound later in the year as agencies reassess critical positions. COG officials continue to foster cross-sector partnerships aimed at bolstering regional economic resilience.

Patch

The analysis relies on Bureau of Labor Statistics federal-job data that only dates back to 1990, limiting trend comparison.

Patch

• “The numbers are stark. We cannot achieve long-term economic resilience without coordinated action,” — Clark Mercer, Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Patch

• “We cannot achieve long-term economic resilience without coordinated action. COG was pleased to see that Mayor Bowser, Governor Spanberger, and Governor Moore have already met twice to discuss workforce development and other issues, and area leaders have been working across the public, private, nonprofit, and higher education sectors to advance several new collaborations. We need to build on this momentum.” — Clark Mercer, Executive Director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Report: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

• “The big takeaway is that this is a continuation of the contraction in the federal workforce following the federal workers who took the deferred retirement package in October,” — Keith Waters, Economist, George Mason University

Report: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years

• “We do kind of anticipate, through the end of the year, that direct federal employment might actually come back up just a little bit as maybe they hire some folks back for positions that they realized were a little bit more crucial than they needed,” — Keith Waters, Economist, George Mason University

Report: D.C. region has its fewest federal workers in at least 36 years