The U.S. Census Bureau announced on April 16 the release of a new summary report and data tables for the 2025 Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (ASPEP). The latest statistics offer a detailed overview of state and local government employment across the country.
The survey is important because it provides information on full- and part-time government employees, full-time equivalent positions, and gross monthly payrolls for March 2025. These figures are organized by governmental function, such as financial administration, other government administration, highways, and air transportation. The data is used by federal, state, and local governments as well as education and research organizations to conduct comparative studies on government employment. It also helps in activities like developing the government component of the gross domestic product.
In addition to summary tables, the release includes an individual unit file with all data items listed by code within ASPEP. This file contains responses at the individual governmental unit level along with descriptive information.
The Census Bureau has also released revised tables for both 2023 and 2024 alongside this new data set. Further details can be found at www.census.gov/programs-surveys/apes/data.html.
A graphic titled “Public Sector Employment per 10,000 People in Selected States: 2025” was published to show leading state and local government functions during that year.
This update did not include a formal news release but was distributed as a tip sheet.
