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Agencies across the federal government shed tens of thousands of staff last year amid Trump administration downsizing efforts, though a few offices have seen gains, according to new federal data that shines a light on last year's staffing changes.
The newly released data from the Office of Personnel Management covers both staffing losses and gains at federal agencies between when President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, through November. Below is a breakdown of what that data says about agencies important to agricultural, rural, environmental and food policy.
The Agriculture Department lost 23,975 staff in total last year, while acquiring 5,379 new staff. That results in a net loss of around 18,596 across the entire agency, roughly 18% of the agency’s September 2024 workforce of 98,473, according to an Agri-Pulse analysis of the OPM data.
Of the employees who left USDA, 11,457 quit, 7,967 retired, 3,816 had expiring appointments, 372 left through other means, 357 transferred out, and six were subject to reductions in force.
USDA agencies
Only one office within USDA saw net workforce gains, rather than losses. While the Office of the Secretary lost a total of 53 employees after the change in administrations, it picked up 94 new ones. That results in a net gain of 41 employees, 23.7% over the September 2024 staffing level of 173.
The Forest Service lost 9,315 employees last year between Jan. 20 and November, the most of any USDA agency. Of these, 4,461 quit, while the appointments of 2,277 expired, 2,259 retired, 192 transferred out, and 126 separated through other means.
Meanwhile, during that span, the Forest Service gained 3,990 new employees, resulting in a net workforce loss of 5,325. That represents a roughly 13% workforce decrease from its September 2024 total of 39,285, OPM data indicates. Forestry technicians accounted for 4,325 of the Forest Service’s lost staff, and 3,811 of its new hires.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service lost 2,881 employees, while gaining 112. Of the losses, 2,043 quit, while 773 retired, 29 transferred out, 28 separated through other means, and 8 had expired appointments.
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Overall, NRCS saw a net loss of 2,769 employees, a decrease of around 23.8% from September 2024. Of the employees the agency lost, 736 worked in soil conservation, while 512 worked in general natural resources management and biological sciences, according to OPM data.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service last year lost 2,328 employees while gaining 297, a net loss of 2,031, and a decline of 23.4% from September 2024. 
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins and Interior's Doug Burgum (DOI photo)
Of the employees who departed APHIS, 868 quit, 815 retired, 594 had expiring appointments, 27 transferred out, and 24 left through other means. The departing employees included 412 biological science technicians, 323 plant protection technicians, and 234 who worked in general natural resources management and biological sciences.
Among other USDA agencies: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture lost a net of 186 employees (189 total losses and 3 gains), roughly 38% of the 488 on staff in September 2024.
Rural Development lost roughly 36% of its September 2024 workforce. A total of 1,795 employees left the agency while 71 new staff came in, a net loss of 1,724.
The Food and Nutrition Service lost 605 total employees while gaining two new ones, resulting in a net loss of 603 employees, a 33% drop from September 2024.
Interior Department
The Interior Department lost 14,252 staff in total last year between Jan. 20 and November, while acquiring 8,112 new staff. That translates to a net loss of 6,140 employees across the entire agency, roughly 9% of the 69,367 employees on its staff in September 2024.
Of the employees that left Interior, 6,282 quit, 2,337 retired, 5,030 had expiring appointments, 291 transferred out, and 312 left through other means.
The U.S. Geological Survey had the largest net decline in staff. The agency lost 1,184 total employees and only gained 87 new ones, leading to a net loss of 1,097, a drop of 13% from 2024.
The Bureau of Reclamation lost 831 total employees, but brought on 100 new staff, resulting in a net loss of 731, a 12.7% drop from 2024. Of Reclamation’s overall staffing losses, 589 employees quit, 147 retired, 61 had expiring appointments, 16 transferred out, and 18 left through other means.
The Bureau of Land Management lost 1,934 total employees while acquiring 1,299 new staff, resulting in a net loss of 635 employees. This represents roughly 5.8% of the 10,925 staff it employed in 2024.
The Fish and Wildlife Service lost 1,448 total employees and brought on 463 new staff, resulting in a net loss of 985 and an 11% drop from 2024.
Commerce Department
The Commerce Department lost 9,046 staff last year between Jan. 20 and November, while acquiring 2,528 new staff, resulting in a net loss of 6,518 across the entire agency, roughly 13% of the 48,442 employees on its staff in 2024.
Of the employees who left, 2,951 quit, 3,657 retired, 1,956 had expiring appointments, 121 transferred out, and 361 left through other means.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which houses the National Weather Service, lost 2,478 employees while gaining 76, resulting in a net loss of 2,402, a 19% drop from 2024.
Of the departing NOAA employees, 1,409 retired, 449 quit, 539 had expired appointments, 41 transferred out, and 40 separated through other means. Meteorologists accounted for 244 of the lost staff.
At the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, one of the federal agencies that oversees the buildout of rural broadband networks, 105 total employees left while 12 new employees came in, resulting in a net loss of 93 employees. That represents around 14% of the 674 people who worked there in 2024.
Other agencies
The Food and Drug Administration, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, lost 4,139 staff in total last year between Jan. 20 and November, while acquiring 93 new staff, according to OPM data. That results in a net loss of 4,046 employees across the entire agency, roughly 19% of the 20,912 people who worked there in 2024.
Of the FDA employees who left, 1,269 were subject to reductions-in-force, while 1,425 retired, 567 had expired appointments, 33 separated through other means, and 22 transferred out.
The Environmental Protection Agency lost 2,331 employees but gained 159 new ones, resulting in a net workforce loss of 2,172, a drop of 12.9% from 2024.
At the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division, 141 total employees left, though the agency gained 10 new ones, a net loss of 131 and a 9% drop from 2024. Of those who left the division last year, 104 had jobs related to wage and hour investigations, while 16 worked in program administration and 12 worked in compliance inspection and support, according to OPM data.
The Farm Credit Administration saw 39 staff leave between Jan. 20 and November of last year but acquired 11 new employees, resulting in a net loss of 28, a 8.4% drop from September 2024 levels. Eighteen FCA staff retired, while 15 quit, four had expired appointments and two left through other means.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission saw 148 total employees leave and just one new employee came in, resulting in a net loss of 147, a drop of 20.3% from 2024.
The U.S. Agency for International Development lost nearly all of its workforce after the administration shut down the agency. It experienced a net loss of 4,608 employees (4,666 total losses and 58 gains), representing 96% of the roughly 4,800 people who worked at the agency in September 2024.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative saw its staff grow slightly rather than shrink. While 24 employees left the agency between Jan. 20 and November, 30 new ones came in. That results in a net gain of six employees, a 2.4% gain from the 250 people it employed in September 2024.
