Government Employee Engagement Statistics (FEVS & More)

The 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey is the newest official federal engagement data. The governmentwide Employee Engagement Index (EEI) reached 73% — a record high since the index began in 2010, one point above the 2023 score of 72% (OPM FEVS, 2024). The Global Satisfaction Index reached 65%, up from 64% in 2023, with components of job satisfaction 69%, pay satisfaction 59%, organization satisfaction 64%, and likelihood to recommend the organization 69% (OPM FEVS, 2024).

The three EEI subscales all improved year-over-year: Leaders Lead 63% (up from 61% in 2023), Supervisors 81% (up from 80%), and Intrinsic Work Experience 75% (up from 74%). The Performance Confidence Index held at 84% — the same level it has maintained for four consecutive years. The Employee Experience Index (EXI) reached 74%, up from 73% in 2023 (OPM FEVS, 2024).

The five-year EEI trajectory: 72 (2020), 71 (2021), 71 (2022), 72 (2023), 73 (2024). The direction is upward, and 2024 is the record high. These figures come from a single source — the OPM governmentwide management report — and are the only FEVS figures any federal HR lead should cite for engagement headlines. Do not blend Best Places to Work scores (which are FEVS-derived but methodologically distinct) with raw FEVS EEI values.

"This year we marked the highest-ever governmentwide FEVS EEI score at 73% (2024), which is one percentage point higher than the 2023 score." — OPM FEVS, 2024

There is no 2025 FEVS. OPM cancelled it in August 2025 — the first cancellation since the survey became annual in 2010. OPM Director Scott Kupor indicated FEVS would return in 2026 "new and improved." Until then, 2024 FEVS is the system of record for federal engagement headlines, and every figure in the FEVS section above is from that survey.

In the measurement gap, the Partnership for Public Service fielded its own Public Service Viewpoint Survey (PSVS): 23 questions (19 pulled from FEVS items), open November 10–December 19, 2025, with 11,083 employee respondents across 30 parent agencies, using a 30-respondent floor for agency-level reporting. The governmentwide 2025 PSVS Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Index score is 32 out of 100 (Partnership for Public Service, 2025 PSVS — vendor-reported, proprietary survey). 58.2% of respondents said their engagement had gotten worse since late 2024.

Critical flag: The PSVS is not directly comparable to FEVS — different methodology, different scale, different sample. The Partnership and OPM both state this explicitly. Never present the 32/100 PSVS score as a year-over-year drop from the 73% FEVS EEI. They are different instruments measuring on different scales. Any "2025 federal engagement" figure a writer or reader encounters is this PSVS number — not a FEVS score.

Federal agency variation is wide. The 2024 Best Places to Work rankings — which are derived from FEVS data but use a distinct methodology — show a 27-point gap between the highest-scoring large agency (NASA at 81.6 out of 100, its 13th consecutive year at the top) and the lowest (Social Security Administration at 54.2 out of 100; the Department of Justice at 61.3). The governmentwide Best Places to Work score was 67.7 out of 100 — one of the highest recorded since the rankings began in 2003 (Partnership for Public Service, Best Places to Work, 2024). Do not conflate these Best Places to Work scores with raw FEVS EEI values — they are related but distinct metrics.

The most recent peer-reviewed federal-vs-private comparison puts federal engagement at 62% vs private-sector 77% in 2019 — a 15-point gap (McCarthy et al., 2020, SAGE Open, citing Partnership for Public Service, 2019). This 2019 figure is dated and is the most recent credible peer-reviewed comparison located; it should always carry that date tag and should not be presented as the current state alongside the 2024 FEVS 73% EEI, which uses a different instrument and scale.

A Gallup panel study (vendor-reported) covering Q1 2025 found federal workers saw larger engagement declines and higher job-search rates than comparable state and local workers following 2025 administrative reforms — federal employees were roughly 8 points more likely to report looking for another job at that point. State/local engagement showed no statistically significant difference from federal levels during 2022–2024. These are Gallup panel findings, not OPM data, and should be attributed as vendor-reported.

Government workers quit at structurally low rates relative to the private sector. The BLS JOLTS government series (covering federal, state, and local combined) showed a quits rate of 0.7% in April 2026 — roughly one-third the total nonfarm rate of 1.9% recorded in the same month (BLS JOLTS, April 2026). Government has consistently been among the lowest-quit industries in the JOLTS series.

The state and local picture is similar. The state/local quit rate averaged 0.7% from 2001 to 2019, peaked at 1.1% in 2022 during the tight pandemic-era labor market, and declined to 0.9% in 2023 (BLS JOLTS, state & local series, via MissionSquare Research Institute, 2024). That 2022 peak was real pressure — but the subsequent decline means state/local quit risk has eased significantly from the post-pandemic spike.

The most recently published federal voluntary attrition breakdown — which combines quits and retirements — was 6.1% in FY2021, with retirements making up approximately 53% of that attrition (Partnership for Public Service, analysis of OPM data, FY2021). This FY2021 figure is dated. Note that 2025 saw extraordinary, non-cyclical separations driven by deferred resignations and workforce reductions — those figures should not be blended with normal-year voluntary attrition trends; they represent a distinct event, not a baseline.

The practical takeaway: government's low quit rate means routine turnover is not the primary retention risk. The exposure is the retirement wave — and the disengagement-driven avoidable exits that sit within the quit rate but are not inevitable.

The federal workforce is aging. Over 28% of the 2.1 million full-time permanent federal workers are age 55 or above, per September 2024 OPM data — and the average federal worker age is 47.2 (USAFacts analysis of OPM data, 2024). The median age of government workers (federal, state, and local combined) stands at 44.9 — the second-highest of any US industry — compared to 42.2 for the US labor force overall (USAFacts analysis of BLS data, 2024).

On federal retirement eligibility, two figures must be used carefully together. The widely-cited GAO figure is 31.6% of permanent federal employees eligible to retire within five years — but that is based on data as of September 30, 2017 (GAO-19-696T). It is authoritative for its time but should never be cited as a current figure. The current OPM data (January 2026) shows retirement eligibility has dropped to 13.5%, down from 15%, reflecting workforce reshaping since 2017 including 2025 separations (OPM Federal Workforce Data, 2026, via Federal News Network). Use 13.5% for present-day claims; reference the 31.6% only with its 2017 date tag.

At the state and local level, the retirement outlook differs from the federal picture in one important respect: 54% of state/local HR managers say the largest wave of anticipated retirements is still ahead in the next few years — yet only 13% have a succession-planning process in place (MissionSquare Research Institute, State and Local Workforce, 2024). The gap between the expected wave and the planning readiness is the real headline for state/local jurisdictions.

Note that agencies most exposed to retirement may not be the ones commonly assumed. OPM's Federal Workforce Data (2026) identifies the Small Business Administration and NASA as having the largest percentage of employees eligible to retire (over 25% each) — not the VA or SSA as is sometimes stated.

Recognition is the single weakest spot in federal engagement, and the data is unambiguous. The lowest-scoring item on the entire 2024 FEVS — out of every item on the survey — is: "In my work unit, differences in performance are recognized in a meaningful way" (Q.17) at 47% positive (OPM FEVS, 2024). This is not a borderline score at the bottom of a cluster; it is the floor of the federal engagement picture.

Satisfaction with recognition is similarly weak: "How satisfied are you with the recognition you receive for doing a good job?" (Q.69) scores 57% positive — placing it among the lowest-scoring items on the 2024 FEVS (OPM FEVS, 2024). These two items together define a consistent, measurable gap that has persisted across multiple FEVS cycles.

OPM explicitly identifies employee recognition as one of the topics needing governmentwide focus for improvement, alongside resilience and innovation (OPM FEVS, 2024). That makes recognition both the lowest-scoring domain and an OPM-designated priority — a rare combination of urgency and institutional endorsement.

For comparison, the highest-scoring item on the entire 2024 FEVS was 92% positive — "It is important to me that my work contribute to the common good" (Q.90) (OPM FEVS, 2024 / Partnership for Public Service, 2025). The distance between mission commitment (92%) and performance recognition (47%) is the sharpest tension in federal engagement data: federal employees care deeply about mission but rarely feel their contributions are acknowledged in a meaningful way.

Note that no governmentwide quantitative split between monetary and non-monetary recognition prevalence has been published — that segment data does not exist. What is clear is that under 5 U.S.C. § 4503, non-monetary peer and honorary recognition is legally unconstrained and costs nothing beyond supervisory time.

The cost of disengagement in government carries two large estimates — both of which require a flag before they are used.

The most frequently cited US-government-specific figure is approximately $53.2 billion tied to disengaged civil servants. This comes from a Partnership for Public Service analysis (April 2026) that applied Gallup's finding that disengaged employees cost organizations about 34% of their annual salaries. The underlying 34%-of-salary rate is vendor-reported by Gallup — it is not an OPM- or BLS-produced statistic. The $53.2 billion figure derives from applying that Gallup rate to the federal civilian payroll (Partnership for Public Service, Cost to Our Economy analysis, April 2026). It is a reasonable proxy for making the business case, but it should always be attributed to that derivation, not presented as a government-audited cost.

The broader global figure from Gallup puts the cost of declining engagement at approximately $438 billion in lost global productivity in 2024 (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, 2025). This is a GLOBAL figure and VENDOR-REPORTED — it is not US-specific and is not disaggregated by public vs private sector. Useful as context; cannot be presented as a government statistic.

The academic anchor is more conservative and more durable: a peer-reviewed study analyzing actual FEVS data found that federal employees with higher engagement are significantly less likely to report an intention to leave, with all three EEI factors (supervisors, leaders, intrinsic work) independently predicting lower turnover intention (McCarthy et al., 2020, SAGE Open, analysis of 2015 FEVS). This is the strongest causally-interpretable evidence linking government engagement to retention outcomes.

The public-safety workforce faces a distinct set of documented pressures — staffing shortfalls, acute burnout, and significant behavioral-health burden — that do not show up in general government engagement surveys like the FEVS.

Police Police sworn staffing was 5.2% below January 2020 pre-pandemic levels as of January 2025, even after a small 0.4% rebound during 2024 (PERF, 2025 staffing survey). Sampling caveat: PERF surveys cover self-selecting member agencies — a fraction of the 18,000+ US law-enforcement agencies — and are not nationally representative. Treat as a directional signal, not a census. The same PERF data (182 agencies, 38 states, April 2023) found officer resignations up 47% and retirements up 19% compared to 2019 levels.

Volunteer Fire Volunteer firefighter numbers reached a record low in 2020 — 676,900 nationwide, down roughly 25% from a peak of 897,750 in 1984 (NFPA, U.S. Fire Department Profile, 2020). Volunteers staff approximately 82% of US fire departments and serve 32% of the population; the long-term decline directly affects community fire protection, not just workforce metrics.

911 / Telecommunications Of 911 centers surveyed by the National 911 Program and IAED-NASNA (2023), the staffing picture is acute: 166 centers reported vacancy rates of 30–49%, 92 reported 50–69%, and 13 reported 70% or more of positions unfilled (National 911 Program / IAED-NASNA, 2023). More than half of surveyed centers face a staffing crisis that directly affects 911 service delivery.

Behavioral Health An estimated ~30% of first responders develop behavioral health conditions such as depression or PTSD during their careers, compared to approximately 20% in the general population (SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center, Supplemental Research Bulletin, May 2018). SAMHSA is a government primary source; this is the most citable behavioral-health burden figure for this population. A separate 2016 study found approximately 20% of firefighters and paramedics specifically met PTSD criteria at some point in their careers (Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2016 — older vintage; the SAMHSA 30% figure from 2018 is broader and more recent).

For this workforce, engagement starts with behavioral health and peer support — not recognition or perks. The documented evidence-based intervention is peer support programs (DOJ COPS Office guidance), and for 911 dispatchers specifically, a randomized controlled trial across nine US cities found that a belonging intervention reduced burnout by 8 points and cut resignations by more than half (Behavioral Insights Team / Harvard People Lab).

This library applies a consistent sourcing discipline so each figure can be calibrated correctly.

Government primary sources — no flag needed: - OPM: FEVS (engagement indices, recognition items, response rates), Federal Workforce Data (retirement eligibility) - BLS: JOLTS government and total nonfarm quits series - GAO: Human Capital High-Risk Series (retirement eligibility, 2017 data) - MSPB: Federal employee engagement and job characteristics research - NFPA: U.S. Fire Department Profile (volunteer firefighter counts) - National 911 Program / IAED-NASNA: 911 staffing survey - SAMHSA: First-responder behavioral health bulletin - USAFacts: Analysis of OPM and BLS data (workforce age)

Vendor-reported figures — labeled throughout: Any Gallup figure carries a VENDOR-REPORTED flag. The $53.2 billion disengagement cost (Partnership analysis using Gallup's 34%-of-salary rate), the global $438 billion productivity cost (Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2025), the replacement-cost range (Gallup, all-industry proxy), and the 8-point federal job-search differential (Gallup panel, 2025) are all vendor-derived. The Best Places to Work rankings (Partnership for Public Service) are FEVS-derived but methodologically distinct from raw FEVS EEI values — never swap the two.

Dated figures — labeled with vintage: - Federal vs private-sector engagement gap (62% vs 77%): 2019 data - Federal voluntary attrition breakdown (6.1%): FY2021 - GAO retirement eligibility (31.6%): data as of September 2017 - Police resignations/retirements (+47%/+19%): 2019 baseline, PERF survey April 2023 - Volunteer firefighter numbers (676,900): NFPA 2020 profile

Known gaps — numbers that do not exist: No credible nationwide state/local government employee engagement-survey participation rate benchmark has been published — do not estimate that figure. No governmentwide quantitative split between monetary and non-monetary recognition prevalence is available. No government-specific per-employee replacement cost has been published — the Gallup one-half-to-two-times-salary range is an all-industry proxy.

What to do once the data surfaces a gap: Statistics like the 47% FEVS recognition score are the starting point. For HR leads at state/local or municipal agencies, Actify is built to be the post-survey action layer — running peer recognition, activity-first engagement, and a lightweight monthly pulse to close the loop on identified gaps. Actify is not a FEVS survey engine and does not replace measurement. It does not address pay, staffing, or labor-relations issues. For federal agencies, FedRAMP/ATO requirements gate most software adoption; Actify's fit is strongest at the state/local/municipal level and for deskless populations who cannot be reached by tools requiring a corporate email login (PLAY-028).