# Social Security Administration (SSA) Staffing Levels: Data Brief > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/crs%3AR48725 ## Record - **Collection:** Congressional research report - **Document type:** Reports - **Published:** April 23, 2026 - **Citation:** R48725 ## Text 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 1 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 57 56 50 51 50 50 51 45 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 25 31 27 29 27 28 32 11 Communications 155 146 142 141 148 150 144 32 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) — — — — 67 143 148 — Human Resources (HR) 412 413 381 420 416 845 854 286 HR/CREO—Reasonable Accommodations 203 216 212 218 213 213 213 171 Inspector General 493 529 542 523 529 534 515 442 Law and Policy — — — — — — — 792 Legislation and Congressional Affairs 54 56 58 58 59 60 60 — 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 — — — — — — 12 — 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 2 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 — — — — — — — 92 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 3 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 4 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 5 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 6 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 — — — 27 — 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 Disclaimer This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material. Congressional Research Service R48725 · VERSION 6 · UPDATED 11 --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/crs%3AR48725. Public record. Not legal advice.