How many employees work at US DoD?
US Department of Defense (District of Columbia) has approximately 1,472,698 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. US DoD’s total headcount has declined 7.8% from 1,597,508 employees in 2023 to 1,472,698 in 2026.
Is US DoD hiring right now?
Yes, US DoD is actively hiring. US DoD had 14,730 active job postings in 2026, a 66.2% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About US DoD’s Workforce
US Department of Defense (District of Columbia) is an Aerospace and Defense company that employs 1,472,698 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1947, the company is headquartered in Washington, Washington, D.C..
US Department of Defense's workforce has declined 7.8% from 2023 to 2026, down 1.8% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 1,472,698 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United States (91.4%), followed by Japan (1.9%) and Germany (1.9%), with India, its fastest-growing location.
US Department of Defense's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (51.8%), Engineering (25.7%), and Sales and Marketing (22.5%). Median employee tenure is 6.3 years. The average salary is $76,314, ranging from a median of $69,000 in Northern America to $8,000 in Southern Asia.
US Department of Defense's active job postings fell 66.2% in 2026 to 14,730, with new postings per month cooling from 44,919 in 2023 to 13,364 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
- Headquarters
- Washington, Washington, D.C.
- Founded
- 1947
- Industry
- Aerospace and Defense
- Employees
- 1,472,698
- YoY
- -1.8% (-45,101)
As of March 2026
US DoD workforce metrics
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for US DoD. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
Unlock MetricsUS DoD Annual Employee Count (2023-2026)
- US DoD had 1,472,698 employees in 2026, a 1.8% decline (-45,101) from 2025.
- US DoD had 1,479,965 employees in 2025, a 2.0% decline (-50,141) from 2024.
- US DoD had 1,530,106 employees in 2024, a 2.0% decline (-39,575) from 2023.
- US DoD had 1,569,681 employees in 2023, a 2.2% decline (-52,448) from 2022.
US DoD's total workforce has declined from 1,597,508 employees in 2023 to 1,472,698 in 2026.
US Department of Defense (District of Columbia) quarterly employee count
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 1,472,698 | -45,101 | -1.8% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 1,479,965 | -50,141 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 1,489,525 | -49,788 | -2.1% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 1,505,855 | -45,268 | -2.0% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 1,517,799 | -40,502 | -2.0% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 1,530,106 | -39,575 | -2.0% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 1,539,313 | -42,681 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 1,551,123 | -46,385 | -2.1% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 1,558,301 | -49,569 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 1,569,681 | -52,448 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 1,581,994 | -55,411 | -2.2% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 1,597,508 | -59,640 | -2.2% |
See US DoD's complete headcount history, including quarterly breakdowns.
Get the DataUS DoD Employee Count by Country and Region (2026)
The United States accounts for the largest share of US DoD's global workforce with approximately 91% of total employees, followed by Japan and Germany.
US DoD employees by country
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,334,483 | 91.4% | -1.5% |
| Japan | 28,001 | 1.9% | -2.7% |
| Germany | 27,968 | 1.9% | -2.4% |
| South Korea | 11,662 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| United Kingdom | 6,948 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| India | 5,137 | 0.4% | +0.2% |
| Italy | 4,941 | 0.3% | -2.7% |
| Puerto Rico | 4,827 | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| Afghanistan | 3,798 | 0.3% | +0.1% |
| Guam | 2,699 | 0.2% | -2.8% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region, and historic geographic shifts.
Unlock Geographic DataUS DoD Employee Count by Department (2026)
US DoD's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (51.8%), Engineering (25.7%), and Sales and Marketing (22.5%).
US DoD employees by department
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 736,835 | 51.8% | -1.5% |
| Engineering | 366,021 | 25.7% | -1.6% |
| Sales and Marketing | 320,609 | 22.5% | -1.6% |
Compare US DoD's department mix to industry peers.
See Full DataUS DoD Employee Salary by Region (2026)
US DoD's average employee salary is $76,314 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $8,000.
US DoD median employee salary by region (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $69,000 |
| Western Europe | $56,000 |
| Northern Europe | $52,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $50,000 |
| Southern Europe | $37,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $36,000 |
| Arab States | $33,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $33,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $25,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $22,000 |
| Southern America | $17,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $12,000 |
| Northern Africa | $11,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $11,000 |
| Southern Asia | $8,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to US DoD's industry peers.
Unlock Salary DataUS DoD Job Openings and Hiring Trends (2023-2026)
- US DoD had 14,730 active job postings in 2026, a 66.2% decline (+996) from 2025.
- US DoD had 13,734 active job postings in 2025, a 34.1% decline (-5,640) from 2024.
- US DoD had 19,374 active job postings in 2024, a 6.6% increase (+1,237) from 2023.
- US DoD had 18,137 active job postings in 2023, a 4.9% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 13,364 new roles/month, down from 26,385 in 2025 and 30,149 in 2024.
US DoD's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 66.2% in 2026 to 14,730, with new postings per month cooling from 44,919 in 2023 to 13,364 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Unlock Hiring DataUS DoD Employee Sentiment (2026)
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across US DoD's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Unlock SentimentSimilar Companies
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Frequently Asked Questions About US DoD
- How fast is US DoD growing?
- In 2026, US DoD's headcount shrank 1.8% to 1,472,698 employees, down from 1,517,799 in 2025.
- Where are US DoD employees located?
- Most US DoD employees are based in the United States (91.4% of headcount), followed by Japan and Germany.
- What is the average salary at US DoD?
- The average employee salary at US DoD is approximately $76.3k per year.
- How many people does US DoD hire per year?
- In 2026, US DoD opened roughly 160,368 new roles — about 13,364 per month.
- When was US DoD founded and where is it headquartered?
- US DoD was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Washington, Washington, D.C..
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