Approximately 426,000 full-time civilian federal employees left their jobs during the first 18 months of President Donald Trump’s second administration, representing nearly one-fifth of the federal workforce that existed when he returned to office in January 2025.

A Washington Post analysis published Thursday found that roughly 20% of the 2.2 million federal employees working at the start of Trump’s term had departed by the end of the period examined. The scale of the departures marks a faster reduction in federal employment than during either Trump’s first term or former President Joe Biden’s four years in office.

Most of the departures were voluntary. About 85% involved resignations or retirements, while approximately 32,000 employees were fired, according to the report.

Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, emphasized that distinction in a statement defending the administration’s workforce overhaul.

“The vast majority of individuals who left government since the beginning of the Administration did so voluntarily,” Kupor said.

After accounting for new hires and reinstated employees, the federal workforce contracted by approximately 255,000 positions, or 12%, between December 2024 and June 2026. The decline brought federal employment to its lowest level since former President Barack Obama’s first term.

The departures exceeded the rates recorded during recent administrations. Approximately one in seven federal employees left during Biden’s four-year presidency, compared with one in eight during Trump’s first term.

The largest single wave of departures came in September 2025, when nearly 121,000 employees left as the administration’s deferred resignation and early retirement programs took effect. Those programs allowed participating employees to continue receiving compensation during designated departure periods rather than immediately returning to regular duties or remaining in their positions indefinitely.

The Department of Government Efficiency, initially led by billionaire Elon Musk, played a prominent role in the broader effort to reduce federal spending and staffing. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, a leading architect of the administration’s budget and workforce policies, also helped drive the initiative.

The administration has argued that reducing bureaucracy, eliminating wasteful spending and ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs are central to making the federal government more efficient. Internal planning documents reviewed by The Washington Post identified 225 offices slated for closure as part of the effort to dismantle DEI initiatives.

However, the reductions have not affected every group of federal employees equally. Census Bureau survey estimates showed that employment among Black federal workers declined by approximately 20% during the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2024, according to the newspaper’s analysis.

The workforce overhaul has also generated substantial costs even as the administration seeks long-term savings. A Government Accountability Office report released Sept. 15 found that federal agencies spent approximately $6.7 billion paying employees who were not required to work while participating in the deferred resignation program.

The program covered an estimated 144,312 employees who continued receiving their salaries during their departure periods. The GAO recommended that agencies improve their tracking of administrative leave and related expenses so officials can better evaluate whether the program is delivering its intended savings.

The Office of Personnel Management agreed with the GAO’s recommendations.

The long-term fiscal impact of the reductions remains a key question. While the administration has substantially reduced federal staffing, the costs of separation programs and the need to measure subsequent savings will help determine how much the restructuring ultimately reduces government spending.