Government has shrunk, not grown, as a percentage of U.S. population

In 1975, Gerald Ford, a Republican, was president of the United States. 1975 was 50 years ago — a half century. The U.S. civilian federal workforce was approximately 2.1 million. The population of the United States was 216 million. This made the federal workforce 1% of the U.S. population.

In 2024, Joe Biden, a Democrat, was president of the United States. The U.S. civilian workforce was 2.2 million. The population of the United States was 336 million. This made the federal workforce 0.66% of the U.S. population.

Over the past 50 years the U.S. government has added 100,000 civilian employees t...