Over 2 million people work for the U.S. federal government. Yet, every year, tens of thousands walk away-not because they got fired, but because they chose to leave. If you’re thinking about joining a federal job, or you’re already in one and wondering if it’s worth staying, you need to know the real reasons people quit. It’s not just about pay. It’s not just about bureaucracy. It’s deeper than that.

They’re Burned Out From Constant Overwork

Federal employees often work with fewer people than they should. Budget cuts since 2010 have shrunk staff sizes while demand for services like veterans’ benefits, Social Security, and IRS support has grown. A 2023 Office of Personnel Management survey found that 47% of federal workers felt consistently overwhelmed. Many are handling two or three roles at once. One IRS agent in Ohio told me he processed 120 tax appeals a week-double the recommended load. No overtime pay. No extra help. Just more stress.

It’s not uncommon for someone to start a federal job expecting stability and end up working 60-hour weeks just to keep up. After a few years, the emotional toll hits. People don’t leave because they hate the mission-they leave because they can’t take the pace anymore.

The Promotion System Feels Broken

You hear it all the time: “Federal jobs have great advancement opportunities.” But in practice, promotions are slow, opaque, and often political. The General Schedule (GS) system has 15 levels, and moving from GS-11 to GS-12 can take 3-5 years-even if you’re doing the work of a GS-13.

There’s no clear path. You might submit your application, get no feedback, and find out months later that someone else got the role because they had the right manager or went to the right training seminar. A 2024 study by the Partnership for Public Service found that 62% of federal employees under 35 believed promotions were based more on who you know than what you do.

When you see peers with less experience get promoted while you’re stuck, it chips away at motivation. People start asking: Why work harder if it doesn’t move the needle?

Pay Doesn’t Match the Cost of Living

Federal pay scales are set nationally, but living costs aren’t. A GS-12 in Washington, D.C., makes around $95,000. That sounds good-until you realize rent for a one-bedroom in Arlington is $2,800 a month. After taxes, student loans, childcare, and healthcare, that paycheck barely covers essentials.

Compare that to a private-sector tech job in the same area. A software engineer with the same experience might make $130,000 with stock options, remote flexibility, and better benefits. Even in smaller cities, federal pay lags. A GS-11 in Atlanta makes $72,000. A similar role at a nonprofit or hospital pays $85,000-with better work-life balance.

It’s not that federal salaries are low everywhere. It’s that they haven’t kept up with inflation since 2019. The last across-the-board raise was 4.1% in 2023, but housing and healthcare costs rose over 12% in the same period. People leave because they can’t afford to stay.

The Bureaucracy Drains Purpose

Many people join federal jobs because they want to make a difference-to help veterans, protect the environment, or improve public health. But once they’re in, they’re buried in paperwork, compliance forms, and approval chains.

One CDC employee in Atlanta told me she spent 30% of her time filling out internal audit logs just to prove she’d done her job. She didn’t have time to analyze data or talk to community health workers. Another worker at the Department of Education said she spent six months trying to get approval to update a website’s font size. Six months. For a font.

When your daily work feels like moving paper instead of helping people, the mission fades. People don’t leave because they lost their values-they leave because the system makes it impossible to live them.

They Want Flexibility and Control

Remote work became normal during the pandemic. Federal agencies were forced to adapt. Many employees discovered they could be just as productive-sometimes more-working from home or a coffee shop in Colorado.

Then came the return-to-office mandates. In 2024, over 70 federal agencies required employees to be in the office at least three days a week. Some required five. No exceptions. Even for parents, caregivers, or people with chronic health conditions.

Private companies offered hybrid models. Startups went fully remote. Federal workers were told to “adapt or leave.” Many chose to leave. A 2025 survey by the American Federation of Government Employees found that 41% of those who quit cited rigid office policies as their main reason.

Control over your time matters. People don’t mind hard work. They mind being treated like clock-punchers instead of professionals.

The Culture Feels Outdated

Federal workplaces are still built on 1970s norms. Meetings run late. Emails pile up. Decision-making takes weeks. Innovation is risky. If you suggest a new tool, someone will ask: “Has this been approved by the IT security committee?”

Younger workers-especially Gen Z and Millennials-expect fast feedback, digital tools, and clear communication. They don’t want to wait six months for a new laptop. They don’t want to use a 20-year-old software system that crashes every time they open it.

One young analyst at the EPA left after her team was forced to use an Excel sheet to track air quality data while private firms used real-time dashboards. She got a job at a climate tech startup. Her new role paid 30% more. She got a laptop on day one. And she got to see the impact of her work in real time.

When the tools and culture don’t match the times, talent leaves.

They Find Better Opportunities Elsewhere

The federal government isn’t the only place hiring skilled people. State and local governments are offering signing bonuses. Nonprofits are matching federal pay with better flexibility. Tech companies are recruiting former federal employees for cybersecurity, data analysis, and policy roles.

And it’s not just about money. It’s about growth. A former FBI analyst now works for a private AI firm. She says: “I used to spend months writing reports no one read. Now I build tools that help police departments reduce crime. I see results in weeks.”

When people realize their skills are in demand outside the system, they start looking. And once they get an offer, the federal job-no matter how stable-starts to feel like a cage.

It’s Not About the Job. It’s About the System.

People don’t leave federal jobs because they’re lazy or unmotivated. They leave because the system doesn’t support them. The workload is crushing. The pay doesn’t keep up. The promotion path is broken. The tools are outdated. The culture resists change.

If you’re considering a federal job, go in with your eyes open. Know that stability comes with sacrifice. If you’re already in one and feeling stuck, you’re not alone. And you’re not wrong to want more.

The federal government needs good people. But to keep them, it has to change. Until then, people will keep walking out-not because they don’t care, but because they care too much to stay in a system that doesn’t care back.

If you’re preparing for a federal job exam, remember this: the system isn’t broken because people are lazy. It’s broken because it hasn’t adapted. The best candidates aren’t the ones who want a safe job-they’re the ones who want to fix it. And if you’re one of them, you’ll need more than a good score on the test. You’ll need to know what you’re walking into.