Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

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Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing

Levels: Data Brief

Updated April 23, 2026

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

R48725

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Recent Staffing Levels .................................................................................................................... 1

Historical Staffing Levels ................................................................................................................ 3

Figures

Figure 1. SSA Total Staff on Duty at the End of the Month ............................................................ 1

Figure 2. SSA Total Staff on Duty at the End of the Fiscal Year, by Data Source .......................... 4

Figure 3. SSA Total Work Years, by Type ....................................................................................... 5

Figure 4. State Disability Determination Services (DDS) Total Work Years .................................. 5

Tables

Table 1. Estimated SSA Staff on Duty from Agency Contingency Plans, by Office ...................... 2

Table 2. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Employees, by Component .................................................. 3

Table A-1. Historical Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Data, by Metric .................. 7

Appendixes

Appendix. Data Underlying Historical Staffing Figures and Additional Data ................................ 6

Contacts

Author Information.........................................................................................................................11

Congressional Research Service

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Introduction

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency in the executive branch

headed by the commissioner of Social Security. It is responsible for administering Social Security

and Supplemental Security Income, which are the nation’s primary income support programs for

older adults and individuals with disabilities. SSA is also responsible for supporting the

administration of a number of non-SSA programs and activities, such as portions of Medicare.

This report provides selected data on SSA’s recent and historical staffing levels—including state

disability determination services (DDS) staffing levels—across a number of different metrics. The

recent and historical periods used in this report are based, in part, on the public availability of

data for each metric. For data on SSA’s recent and historical staffing levels by state or area, see

CRS Report R48911, Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels by State or Area:

Data Brief. For additional data on SSA’s staffing levels, see the Office of Personnel

Management’s (OPM’s) Federal Workforce Data website at https://data.opm.gov/.

Recent Staffing Levels

Figure 1 shows SSA total staff on duty at the end of the month for January 2019-February 2026.

SSA’s total staffing level at the end of February 2026 was 49,683.

Figure 1. SSA Total Staff on Duty at the End of the Month

January 2019-February 2026. Figure is interactive in HTML report version.

Source: CRS analysis of data from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM’s) Federal Workforce Data site.

Table 1 shows estimated SSA staff on duty from agency contingency plans, by office, for 20182025. Entries for some offices are blank (i.e., “—”) because the office did not exist at the time or

no longer exists. SSA underwent several reorganizations in 2025 that closed some offices, created

new offices, and transferred staff and functions to different offices. As a result, office-level

staffing data for 2025 may not be comparable with previous years.

Congressional Research Service

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Table 1. Estimated SSA Staff on Duty from Agency Contingency Plans, by Office

2018-2025

Office

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Total

61,663

63,203

62,987

62,971

61,757

61,869

59,058

51,825

Actuary

Analytics, Review, and

Oversight

2,086

2,307

1,996

1,939

1,964

1,945

1,920

—

Budget, Finance, and

Management/Finance and

Management

931

916

880

884

891

870

859

679

Commissioner

Communications

155

146

142

141

148

150

144

9,664

9,386

8,370

8,156

7,675

8,086

7,471

7,148

General Counsel

723

747

724

741

758

744

722

—

Civil Rights and Equal

Opportunity (CREO)

—

143

148

—

Human Resources (HR)

412

413

381

420

416

845

854

286

HR/CREO—Reasonable

Accommodations

203

216

212

218

213

171

Inspector General

493

529

542

523

529

534

515

442

Law and Policy

—

792

Legislation and Congressional

Affairs

—

43,221

44,694

45,927

46,131

45,129

44,316

42,250

37,395

Risk and Quality

—

1,861

Retirement and Disability Policy

533

525

495

489

493

482

504

—

Security and Resiliency

—

372

3,106

3,181

3,183

3,191

3,338

3,403

3,303

2,591

—

Hearings Operations/Disability

Adjudication

Operations

Systems/Chief Information

Officer

Transformation

Source: CRS analysis of data from Social Security Administration (SSA) agency contingency plans for 2018-2025.

Notes: “—” = not applicable. The staff counts are estimated for the end of September or the beginning of

October of the year shown using actual staff counts from July or August of that year. The office Operations

includes field offices, teleservice centers, regional offices, program service centers, and the Office of Central

Operations. The Inspector General data for 2025 were calculated based on the difference between the higher

staffing total at the beginning of the 2025 contingency plan and the lower total in the table at the end of the plan.

Table 2 shows full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, by component, for FY2019-FY2026. An

FTE is the equivalent of one employee working full-time for one year (2,080 hours), excluding

overtime and lump-sum leave. The table separates out SSA’s Office of the Inspector General

(OIG) from the rest of the agency. It also provides data on state DDSs, which are state agencies

that conduct disability determinations and reviews on behalf of, and under agreements with, SSA.

State DDS personnel are state employees, and their salaries and related activities are fully funded

Congressional Research Service

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

by SSA, subject to certain conditions. The FY2026 data in the table are estimates from SSA’s

FY2027 congressional budget justification.

Table 2. Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Employees, by Component

FY2019-FY2026

Component

FY2019

FY2020

FY2021

FY2022

FY2023

FY2024

FY2025

FY2026

SSA Total (Excluding

OIG)

60,470

59,574

59,195

57,568

58,485

57,998

54,063

51,205

Field Offices/Field

Operations

27,358

27,230

27,251

26,997

27,673

26,839

26,514

24,966

Teleservice

Centers/Digital Services

4,307

4,567

4,790

4,167

4,078

3,947

3,865

5,231

Regional Offices

1,348

1,309

1,281

1,347

1,221

1,396

—

Program Service

Centers and Office of

Central Operations

9,467

9,463

9,548

9,345

9,348

9,214

8,916

7,268

Office of Hearings

Operations/Disability

Adjudication

9,335

8,549

7,970

7,553

7,465

7,512

8,845

6,764

—

1,865

Office of Systems/Chief

Information Officer

3,084

3,048

3,138

3,074

3,285

3,293

3,081

2,943

Office of Analytics,

Review, and Oversight

2,107

2,050

1,928

1,834

1,869

1,923

—

Office of General

Counsel

720

691

721

704

698

713

—

Security and Resiliency

—

Law and Policy

—

1,050

879

2,744

2,667

2,567

2,547

2,848

3,161

1,792

1,196

13,149

12,780

13,421

13,462

13,166

13,424

12,797

12,226

508

519

499

479

500

508

473

455

Risk and Quality

Headquarters/AgencyLevel Support

State DDS

OIG

Source: CRS analysis of data from SSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for Fiscal Year 2027,

and earlier editions.

Notes: OIG = Office of the Inspector General. DDS = Disability Determination Services. Subtotals may not sum

to totals due to rounding. The FY2026 data are estimates from SSA’s FY2027 congressional budget justification.

The SSA FTE data for FY2023-FY2026 include reimbursable work. (The SSA FTE data in the Appendix exclude

reimbursable work.)

Historical Staffing Levels

Figure 2 shows SSA total staff on duty at the end of the fiscal year for FY1964-FY2026. The

figure uses data from two different sources: SSA (FY1964-FY1998) and OPM (FY1974FY2026). The OPM data for FY2026 are through February 2026.

Congressional Research Service

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Figure 2. SSA Total Staff on Duty at the End of the Fiscal Year, by Data Source

FY1964-FY2026 (Selected Years). Figure is interactive in HTML report version.

Source: CRS analysis of data from Social Security Advisory Board, How the Social Security Administration Can

Improve Its Service to the Public, September 1999; various SSA responses to questions for the record; Department

of Health, Education, and Welfare, Annual Report, 1967, and earlier editions; OPM’s Federal Workforce Data and

FedScope systems; and the Internet Archive’s Federal Employment Data from the Office of Personnel Management.

Notes: The FY2026 data are through February 2026.

Figure 3 shows SSA total work years for FY1964-FY2026. SSA calculates total work years as

the sum of FTE employment and overtime and lump-sum leave (i.e., the number of FTE

employees plus the number of overtime and lump-sum leave work years). The figure displays two

types of work-year metrics: LAE-only activities (FY1964-FY2026) and all activities (FY1975FY2026). The metric LAE-only activities includes only those work years that are attributable to

SSA’s Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) account or equivalent historical account.

The LAE account is SSA’s primary administrative appropriations account and funds SSA’s

activities related to Social Security, SSI, and portions of Medicare.1 The metric all activities

includes LAE work years in addition to work years that are attributable to reimbursable work,2

SSA’s OIG,3 special temporary workloads,4 and, prior to FY1998, certain other programs and

activities for which SSA had administrative responsibilities.5 Figure 4 shows state DDS total

work years for FY1980-FY2026. The FY2026 data in both figures are estimates from SSA’s

FY2027 congressional budget justification.

1 See CRS Report R47097, Social Security Administration (SSA): Trends in the Annual Limitation on Administrative

Expenses (LAE) Appropriation.

2 Reimbursable work is work that SSA performs on behalf of another entity under a reimbursable agreement.

3 SSA’s Office of the Inspector General is funded primarily by a separate administrative appropriations account.

4 Examples of special temporary workloads include SSA’s work related to Medicare reform and the implementation of

Part D in the mid-2000s, its work related to Medicare replacement cards in the mid-to-late 2010s, and its work related

to recovery rebates (also known as economic impact payments or stimulus payments) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

5 Examples of SSA’s past administrative responsibilities include federal credit unions; all of Medicare; Black Lung

(Part B); refugee assistance; Aid to Families with Dependent Children; the Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Program; child support enforcement; and cash assistance for the aged, blind, and disabled in the territories.

Congressional Research Service

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Figure 3. SSA Total Work Years, by Type

FY1964-FY2026 (Selected Years). Figure is interactive in HTML report version.

Source: CRS analysis of data from SSA’s FY2027 congressional budget justification and earlier editions; SSA,

Annual Statistical Supplement, 2024, and earlier editions; SSA, Annual Report to the Congress, 1994, and earlier

editions; various SSA responses to questions for the record; and the FY1966 President’s budget.

Notes: LAE = Limitation on Administrative Expenses. The FY2026 data are estimates from SSA’s FY2027

congressional budget justification.

Figure 4. State Disability Determination Services (DDS) Total Work Years

FY1980-FY2026, Figure is interactive in HTML report version.

Source: CRS analysis of data from SSA’s FY2027 congressional budget justification and earlier editions; various

SSA responses to questions for the record; and General Accounting Office, Social Security: Increasing Number of

Disability Claims and Deteriorating Service, November 1993.

Notes: The FY2026 data are estimates from SSA’s FY2027 congressional budget justification.

Congressional Research Service

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Appendix. Data Underlying Historical Staffing

Figures and Additional Data

Table A-1 provides the data underlying the historical staffing figures shown in the body of the

report. The table includes additional years of data for SSA total staff on duty (SSA data) and SSA

total work years (LAE-only activities), as well as data on SSA full-time permanent staff, SSA and

OIG FTEs, and state DDS total staff on duty. Data for some metrics are not available for all years

shown below, because CRS was unable to find publicly available data for certain years. In some

cases, the entries for certain metrics are blank (i.e., “—”) because the particular metric was not

captured or produced by SSA at that time or the particular entity did not exist at that time (e.g.,

SSA’s OIG was established in the second half of FY1995).

Congressional Research Service

Table A-1. Historical Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Data, by Metric

FY1936-FY2026 (Selected Years)

SSA Full-Time

Permanent Staff on

Duty

SSA Total Staff on

Duty

Fiscal

Year

1936

1937

1938

SSA Total Work Years

SSA and OIG FTEs

SSA

(Excluding

OIG)

OIG

—

SSA Data

634

5,748

9,612

OPM Data

—

SSA Data

—

OPM Data

—

LAE-Only

Activities

—

All

Activities

—

1939

9,661

—

1940

12,164

—

1941

12,682

—

9,037

—

1942

13,297

—

9,853

—

1943

10,585

—

9,502

1944

10,045

—

1945

10,629

—

1946

1947

11,261

12,830

—

1948

12,889

—

1949

12,854

—

1950

11,899

1951

1952

State DDS

Total Staff

on Duty

—

Total Work

Years

—

8,268

—

8,269

—

9,624

10,616

—

11,450

—

11,069

—

11,137

—

14,821

—

13,301

—

14,814

—

13,853

—

1953

14,623

—

14,402

—

1954

14,634

—

13,983

—

1955

18,514

—

16,363

—

1956

18,591

—

17,729

—

237

—

1957

22,472

—

21,984

—

491

—

1958

23,540

—

23,297

—

868

—

1959

1960

26,322

26,071

—

25,207

25,829

—

1,142

—

CRS-7

SSA Full-Time

Permanent Staff on

Duty

SSA Total Staff on

Duty

Fiscal

Year

1961

1962

SSA Total Work Years

SSA and OIG FTEs

SSA

(Excluding

OIG)

OIG

—

SSA Data

32,100

35,304

OPM Data

—

SSA Data

—

OPM Data

—

LAE-Only

Activities

30,063

34,741

All

Activities

—

1963

34,796

—

34,959

—

1964

35,056

—

35,448

—

1965

35,897

—

35,345

—

1966

44,774

—

48,473

—

1967

1968

48,092

53,142

—

47,004

52,459

—

49,650

54,770

—

1969

1970

53,543

54,164

—

50,488

50,048

—

54,405

53,648

1971

1972

1973

56,443

56,260

68,340

—

52,225

52,485

62,609

—

1974

76,762

77,811

71,187

1975

82,791

80,024

1976

87,125

83,632

1977

1978

1979

1980

88,257

86,563

84,629

84,269

1981

1982

State DDS

Total Staff

on Duty

1,497

—

Total Work

Years

—

2,114

—

2,191

2,411

—

2,710

2,711

—

55,438

56,443

59,542

—

3,225

4,400

6,300

—

68,763

77,956

—

10,300

—

74,993

70,306

84,037

86,168

—

10,100

—

77,920

71,979

87,487

89,045

—

9,300

—

85,036

85,948

83,994

82,931

80,054

77,684

75,230

74,498

77,017

77,428

75,630

74,271

89,848

86,449

85,996

84,937

90,835

88,088

87,725

86,539

—

9,400

9,600

—

9,625

9,701

86,948

88,611

85,802

88,267

74,330

74,880

74,863

74,820

84,262

86,640

85,958

88,163

78,842

82,000

—

10,794

12,513

1983

86,131

86,004

74,604

74,430

88,254

89,299

82,483

—

12,887

1984

83,980

83,398

73,944

72,047

86,185

87,864

79,951

—

12,924

1985

83,505

84,194

72,225

73,186

82,131

83,406

77,741

—

13,074

1986

1987

77,358

71,024

81,113

75,730

68,962

64,529

71,596

68,726

78,746

72,721

79,225

73,408

75,494

70,784

—

13,302

12,502

1988

68,908

68,116

63,029

61,903

68,558

69,286

66,835

—

11,963

CRS-8

SSA Total Staff on

Duty

Fiscal

Year

1989

SSA Full-Time

Permanent Staff on

Duty

SSA Total Work Years

SSA and OIG FTEs

SSA

(Excluding

OIG)

OIG

64,621

—

SSA Data

66,597

OPM Data

65,885

SSA Data

61,131

OPM Data

60,328

LAE-Only

Activities

66,311

All

Activities

66,931

1990

1991

1992

65,978

68,270

67,398

65,161

67,371

66,362

61,067

63,715

62,398

60,281

62,653

61,538

64,155

64,844

66,164

65,025

66,040

68,135

62,836

62,850

64,324

1993

1994

65,906

67,590

64,925

66,362

61,640

62,434

60,818

61,161

66,202

66,259

66,623

66,741

1995

67,925

66,719

62,504

61,304

66,537

1996

67,398

67,132

62,133

61,294

1997

67,750

67,328

61,224

60,386

1998

65,407

65,629

59,943

1999

—

63,957

59,752

2000

—

64,521

2001

—

2002

—

2003

2004

State DDS

Total Staff

on Duty

—

Total Work

Years

11,634

—

11,177

11,738

13,225

63,771

64,017

—

14,325

13,298

13,267

67,063

64,135

109

14,591

13,478

66,154

66,726

63,418

247

14,298

12,938

68,710

69,378

64,574

314

15,063

14,118

59,719

66,540

67,210

63,339

388

15,563

14,330

58,900

65,760

66,459

62,312

428

15,792

14,611

60,434

59,322

64,771

65,521

61,698

517

15,659

14,231

65,377

61,490

60,565

64,557

65,562

61,743

559

—

14,397

64,648

61,914

60,791

64,829

65,742

62,214

564

—

14,947

—

64,903

63,569

61,410

64,515

65,343

62,264

566

—

14,700

—

65,258

63,186

61,882

64,764

66,154

62,513

594

—

14,772

2005

—

66,147

63,696

62,654

65,182

68,026

61,790

610

—

15,038

2006

—

63,647

61,692

61,394

64,604

66,878

61,468

608

—

14,653

2007

—

62,407

60,206

60,022

63,076

63,939

60,814

597

—

13,916

2008

—

63,990

61,920

61,486

63,485

64,358

60,456

583

15,361

13,605

2009

—

67,632

65,203

64,696

66,302

67,170

63,187

576

16,814

14,224

2010

—

69,963

67,548

66,666

69,891

70,758

66,398

583

18,268

16,021

2011

—

67,136

64,744

64,539

69,077

69,936

66,749

574

17,064

16,739

2012

—

65,113

62,943

62,599

66,333

67,208

63,760

569

16,075

14,913

2013

—

62,543

59,823

59,643

63,807

64,601

61,627

558

15,279

14,081

2014

—

64,684

62,956

61,946

63,230

64,006

60,105

539

16,966

14,187

2015

—

65,717

63,466

62,813

66,247

67,004

63,170

528

16,168

14,925

CRS-9

SSA Total Staff on

Duty

Fiscal

Year

2016

SSA Full-Time

Permanent Staff on

Duty

SSA Total Work Years

SSA and OIG FTEs

SSA

(Excluding

OIG)

OIG

62,949

522

SSA Data

—

OPM Data

64,394

SSA Data

62,685

OPM Data

62,560

LAE-Only

Activities

65,062

All

Activities

65,798

2017

—

62,297

61,250

60,879

63,222

63,957

60,664

2018

—

62,519

61,011

60,726

63,360

64,095

60,160

2019

—

61,991

60,450

60,170

63,828

64,576

2020

—

61,447

60,364

59,829

61,553

62,291

2021

—

59,808

58,952

58,582

61,112

2022

—

57,754

56,907

56,461

2023

2024

—

61,410

58,409

60,026

57,148

59,912

56,931

2025

—

52,045

—

2026

—

49,683

—

State DDS

Total Staff

on Duty

16,797

Total Work

Years

15,152

512

15,458

14,522

496

14,750

13,665

60,470

508

14,906

13,429

59,574

519

14,891

13,028

61,830

59,195

499

15,297

13,758

59,903

60,570

57,568

479

14,571

13,825

61,225

60,127

61,771

60,817

58,293

57,820

500

508

15,343

14,469

13,554

13,643

51,157

55,805

56,444

53,906

473

13,700

13,017

48,893

54,352

55,082

50,935

455

—

12,561

Sources: CRS analysis of data from Social Security Advisory Board, How the Social Security Administration Can Improve Its Service to the Public, September 1999; various SSA

responses to questions for the record; Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Annual Report, 1970, and earlier editions; Federal Security Agency, Annual Report of

the Federal Security Agency, 1952, and earlier editions; Social Security Board, Annual Report of the Social Security Board, 1945, and earlier editions; OPM’s Federal Workforce

Data and FedScope systems; the Internet Archive’s Federal Employment Data from the Office of Personnel Management; SSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations

Committees for Fiscal Year 2027, and earlier editions; SSA, Annual Statistical Supplement, 2024, and earlier editions; SSA, Annual Report to the Congress, 1994, and earlier

editions; Office of Management and Budget, Appendix, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 1996, and earlier editions; SSA, SSA Weekly Operational Report

Meeting, April 25, 2025; SSA, “Total State DDS Employees by State FY2010 to FY2023”; SSA, Office of the Inspector General, The Social Security Administration’s Progress in

Reducing the Initial Disability Claims Backlog, April 2014; SSA, “FY 2000 State Agency Operations Report,” and earlier editions; General Accounting Office (GAO), More

Diligent Followup Needed To Weed Out Ineligible SSA Disability Beneficiaries, March 1981; U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Committee Staff Report on

the Disability Insurance Program, 93rd Cong., 2nd sess., July 1974; and GAO, Social Security: Increasing Number of Disability Claims and Deteriorating Service, November 1993.

Notes: “—” = not available or not applicable. The data for SSA Total Staff on Duty for FY1936-FY1946 are for the Social Security Board, which was replaced by SSA in

July 1946. For the metric SSA Full-Time Permanent Staff on Duty, the SSA data include seasonal employees, while the OPM data exclude seasonal employees. The data for

LAE-Only Activities for FY1941-FY1962 are for the Bureau of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance. Prior to FY1979, the President’s budget referred to the LAE account as the

Limitation on Salaries and Expenses account, the Salaries and Expenses account, or the Salaries account. The data for LAE-Only Activities and SSA FTEs exclude

reimbursable work. (The SSA FTE data for FY2023-FY2026 in Table 2 include reimbursable work.) The FY1972-FY1978 and FY2025 data for State DDS Total Staff on

Duty are rounded. The FY2026 data for SSA Total Staff on Duty and SSA Full-Time Permanent Staff on Duty are through February 2026. The FY2026 data for SSA Total Work

Years, SSA and OIG FTEs, and State DDS Total Work Years are estimates from SSA’s FY2027 congressional budget justification.

CRS-10

Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief

Author Information

William R. Morton

Specialist in Income Security

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Congressional Research Service

R48725 · VERSION 6 · UPDATED

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