It was the summer of 1966. Lyndon Johnson was in the White House and the Great Society was roaring. In August, the federal government had 2,721,000 employees.
Now it is the fall of 2013. There are complaints from Washington about a bloated federal government. Another Democrat, Barack Obama, is president
In September, before the government shutdown, the government had 2,723,000 employees, according to the latest job report, on a seasonally adjusted basis. That is the lowest figure since 1966. Until now, the lowest figure for the current century had been 2,724,000 federal employees in October 2004, when George W. Bush was seeking a second term in the White House.
Now, the federal government employs exactly 2 percent of the people with jobs in this country. In 1966, the figure was more than twice that, 4.3 percent.
via Bloated Government? Federal Employment at 47-Year Low – NYTimes.com.
Some relevant links:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/historicals
http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/us_20th_century_chart.was (dead link?)
http://washingtontechnology.com/toplists/top-100-lists/2012.aspx
http://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/2011_summary_report.pdf
http://cbo.gov/publication/44591
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/historicals