The partial federal government shutdown has focused attention on the federal workforce. According to the MAP Dashboard, state, local, and federal government jobs accounted for 20.0 percent of Tucson’s employment in 2017. Federal civilian employees represented 3.3 percent of total employment in Tucson, substantially higher than the U.S. share of 1.9 percent. Among peer western metropolitan areas, Phoenix posted the smallest share at 1.1 percent, while Colorado Springs had the largest at 3.9 percent. Not all federal civilian workers have been affected by the partial shutdown because their agencies were already funded. However, private-sector employees working on federal contracts affected by the shutdown have been impacted. To learn more about key employment sectors in Tucson explore the MAP Dashboard employment indicators.
