Government employment at 16.6 million

Local governments, including counties, cities, townships, special districts and school districts, accounted for 12.2 million full-time employees while state governments employed 4.4 million. The largest segment of government employees was found in education (8.9 million). Hospitals accounted for one million while police and corrections officers totaled just over 1.7 million.

In Georgia, the combined number of state and local workers employed full time fell by 1.77 percent from 2008 to 2009. The number of part-time government employees fell by 3.65 percent during the same time period.

The State of Georgia reduced its full time employee rolls by 5.52 percent. Georgia was one of four states to decrease the number of full time employees by more than four percent. Iowa, Arizona and Maine also had four percent or greater decreases in the number of full time employees.

Six states, led by Illinois with a 6.2 percent, increased the number of full time employees.

The estimates come from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Government Employment and Payroll. They show total state and local government employment, with separate totals at the state and local levels, for government functions at the national level and for each state.