69,000 Black men lost federal jobs. Why didn't anyone count them?

On this page: The count for Black men; Side by side with Black women; Where it hit hardest: the Washington region; Who pays, and who decides what happens next; and What you can do this week

Federal jobs built the Black middle class, and Black men built them too. In 2024 about 409,000 Black men worked for the federal government, as mail carriers, VA nurses, Social Security staff, engineers and managers. Nearly 1 in 5 federal workers is Black, 18.5% in 2024, against about 1 in 8 of all American workers, according to the Pew Research Center. Those jobs came with pensions, health care and long careers.

Since 2024 the federal government has cut hundreds of thousands of jobs. The published reports counted Black women's losses: the Economic Policy Institute put them at 95,371 federal jobs in 2025, and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America's Black think tank, found most of the Black workers missing from work were women. The U.S. Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys reported that no published count existed for Black men. So SourceLine ran the same government survey for Black men.

The count for Black men

Black men held steady in 2025, then lost about 64,000 federal jobs in the first nine months of 2026. Since 2024, about 69,000 fewer Black men work for the federal government. Counting city, county and state government too, about 131,000 fewer Black men hold public jobs. Unemployment for Black men rose from 6.4% in 2024 to 7.1% in 2025 and 7.3% so far in 2026.

Side by side with Black women

Monthly averages. Survey estimates from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey.

The losses came in two waves. Black women took the first, in 2025, losing about 93,000 federal jobs. Black men took the second, in 2026. Together, about 181,000 fewer Black federal workers than in 2024. One community, hit twice.

Where it hit hardest: the Washington region

Nationally, federal jobs fell about 8% from early 2024 to early 2026. Around Washington, where the federal government is the largest employer, the cuts ran about twice as deep, and the two most heavily Black counties near the capital were among the hardest hit.

First quarter of 2024 to first quarter of 2026. Labor Department count of jobs from employer records, all federal workers, counted where the job is.

Many Black men and women in Prince George's and Charles commute to federal jobs in the District, so the loss in those homes runs deeper than each county's own count shows. The survey behind the national figures is too small to give a reliable county count for Black men and Black women separately, so SourceLine shows the official job count here.

Kazemde Ajamu, founder of SourceLine, in his own view: "These should be measured as the Black community, because they impact us equally."

Who pays, and who decides what happens next

Is this paid with your tax dollars? Yes. Federal jobs are paid with federal tax dollars, set each year in the spending bills Congress passes and the President signs. Residents see these cuts differently: some as savings, others as lost service and lost jobs. SourceLine takes no side. The decision stays with you and the people you elect.

• You and your neighbors: your vote and your voice decide who writes the next spending bills. Ask: who in our community lost a federal job, and who is speaking for them?
• Your member of Congress and your two senators: starting January 3, 2027, the new Congress writes the federal budget, holds hearings and can call agencies to explain their cuts. Ask: will you hold hearings on who was cut, by race and sex, and fund the jobs that serve our community?
• The President and federal agencies: the executive branch decides how agencies are staffed within the money Congress gives. Ask: how many workers did each agency cut, and why?
• The courts: federal courts have already stopped some cuts, including the shutdown of the Minority Business Development Agency.

What you can do this week

• Enter your address below to see your member of Congress and your senators, and call or email them.
• If you, your son, your father or your brother lost a federal job, tell your member's office. They count those calls.
• Share this count, Black men and Black women side by side.