How Many CSRS Employees Are Left? Understanding the Decline of the Civil Service Retirement System

As of the end of fiscal year 2022, approximately 44,000 federal employees remained under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), accounting for about 1.6% of the federal workforce. This marks a significant decrease from previous decades when CSRS covered a much larger portion of federal employees. The decline is attributed to the introduction of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) in 1984, which has since become the primary retirement plan for federal employees. Despite the decreasing number of active CSRS employees, the system continues to impact federal retirement planning, especially for retirees and their survivors.