1 in 7 Americans works for the government
Hot Zone: Radical Transparency From a Political Sewer?
Dr. Peter A. McCullough - video,
The “one in seven Americans works for government” claim is roughly correct if you count all federal, state, and local public‑sector jobs, including K‑12 and higher‑ed. The latest BLS/Census numbers put the figure in the mid‑teens percent, close to 1 in 7 rather than 1 in 10 or 1 in 5.[1][2]
Current public‑sector share
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the public sector accounts for about 14–15% of total U.S. employment, i.e., about one in seven workers.[2]
- State and local governments employ about 20–21 million people, roughly 13% of the nation’s workforce.[3][1]
- Federal civilian employment adds another ~3 million jobs, around 1.8–2% of all employee jobs.[4][5]
Putting it together
- Combining federal (~3 million) with state and local (~20–21 million) yields on the order of 23–24 million government employees.[5][6][1]
- With total U.S. employment around 153 million in 2023, that total public workforce is about 15–16% of all jobs, i.e., approximately 1 in 6 to 1 in 7 workers.[7][2]
- The exact ratio depends on which dataset and month you use, but “about one in seven Americans with a job works for government” is a fair, order‑of‑magnitude statement.[1][2]
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About 1 in 6 if include the US military
About 1 in 8 work in Health Care
Perplexity AI Dec 2025 Doctors, nurses, pharma, drugests, etc.
Does not include caregivers for the elderly - a quickly growing sector