Federal workers aren’t getting paid through the shutdown. Here’s how much they typically earn.

Unemployment claims for federal workers have been rising in Pennsylvania and New Jersey amid the longest government shutdown in the country’s history.

Some federal workers across the country have been told to continue working, but without pay, and others have been furloughed, barred from doing their jobs, since Oct. 1. In Pennsylvania, these furloughed workers may be eligible for unemployment but must pay back any unemployment dollars they get once the shutdown ends and back pay is doled out.

Those who are working without pay are not eligible for unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania, the state’s Department of Labor and Industry has said.

“We’re still doing the job that we’re called to do, but we’re doing it without pay,” Charles Jacques, union local president at NATCA, which represents air traffic controllers in Philadelphia, said in October. “Most of these people are just like everybody else — living paycheck to paycheck. Not being able to pay their bills or their mortgage is an added stress to their life.”

In the Philadelphia area, some federal workers have said they are cutting back on costs where they can, putting their mortgages on hold, and making arrangements with utility companies. And some are looking to bank loans to bridge the gap.

During October, unemployment claims filed by federal employees climbed steadily in Pennsylvania, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The week of Sept. 27, 14 new claims were filed. The week of Oct. 25, it was 350. The total number of benefit recipients on Oct. 25 was 655, up from 320 on Sept. 27.

Many federal employees can’t afford to miss out on a paycheck, union officials have said.

“As much as everybody thinks federal employees make a lot of money, you know, a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. We have a lot of lower-pay workers,” Philip Glover, national vice president of AFGE District 3, which represents federal workers, said in late September. “It hurts to go two pay periods without a paycheck.”

OPM, the government’s human resource agency, maintains a database of federal workers’ seniority levels and salaries by state. Using that data, as of March 2025, The Inquirer examined pay at several agencies in Pennsylvania.

The data show about half of Pennsylvania’s federal workers have a salary under $90,000 a year and about a quarter under $65,000. Roughly 42% make more than $100,000 on average.

In New Jersey, 64% of federal workers earn over $100,000 annually, and a quarter earn less than $85,000.

Government workers are legally entitled to receive back pay once the shutdown ends, whether they worked through it or not. Statements by the Trump administration had cast doubt on that, but a deal reached in the Senate on Sunday night that could end the shutdown included assurances that federal workers would be paid.