PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: The total federal workforce in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has been reduced by an estimated 22,000 employees, according to data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

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👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Trump administration, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, and federal workers.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The central bank study was released on Thursday, July 17, and covers the period between January and May 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “On net, federal employment in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia has declined by roughly 22,100 positions,” the bank stated.

🎯IMPACT: Maryland has seen a 5.4 percent decrease in federal employment. Virginia has seen a 4.8 percent decline, but the District of Columbia has only seen a 1.9 percent drop.

New data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond reveals the total federal workforce in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has been reduced by an estimated 22,000 employees. The U.S. central bank’s Richmond branch suggests the number of federal workers being laid off will continue to increase in the foreseeable future.

Notably, federal government employment comprises a significant portion of the total employment in Maryland (5.4 percent), Virginia (4.4 percent), and Washington, D.C. (24.6 percent). As a result of workforce reduction initiatives implemented by President Donald J. Trump, including some cuts enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Maryland has seen a 5.4 percent decrease in federal employment. Meanwhile, Virginia has seen a 4.8 percent decline, though the District of Columbia has only seen a 1.9 percent drop.

“There is evidence that the attempt to shrink the federal workforce is having an impact on the DMV region of the Fifth District,” the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond study states, concluding: “On net, federal employment in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia has declined by roughly 22,100 positions, and there has been a sustained increase in unemployment claims, particularly in D.C. proper.”

The number of federal layoffs is likely to increase exponentially after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court order that previously blocked the Trump administration from cutting workforces across 19 federal departments and agencies. Only one justice dissented, suggesting that Trump will ultimately prevail in a final ruling by the high court.

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