Author: Jonathan Guarine
Federal workers provide various public services, ranging from mail delivery and national park management to veterans’ healthcare and Social Security administration. Toward the end of 2024, there were about 82,600 federal employees in North Carolina, accounting for 2% of the state’s total employment. Using the latest available data, we map out where federal employment is concentrated across the state. Darker-shaded counties indicate areas where federal jobs make up a larger share of total employment.
Key Takeaways:
- Areas with a military presence have more federal employment. In counties such as Cumberland (Fort Bragg), Onslow (Camp Lejeune), and Craven (Air Station Cherry Point), federal jobs make up 12-15% of total employment. Note: Federal employment excludes active-duty military personnel.
- Other concentrations of federal employees are in counties with large federal facilities. In Granville County, for example, federal employment comprises 6% of total employment due to the Butner Federal Correctional Complex.
- Federal employment remains sparse in most other areas. Outside of counties with a military base or a major federal facility, federal jobs account for a smaller percentage of employment. Even in large urban centers like Wake and Mecklenburg counties, federal employment accounts for just 1% of total employment. In many rural counties, federal employment is small and consists primarily of postal service workers.