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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for July 26, 2017

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By Scott Rasmussen

The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

July 26, 2017: According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 15.3% of American workers are on the government payroll.[1]

The share of government employees is nearly twice as high in Norway (30.0%), Denmark (29.1%), and Sweden (28.6%). It is far lower in Germany (10.6%), South Korea (7.6%), and Japan (5.9%).[2]

Scandinavia first for public sector employment.jpg

Government employees in the U.S. provide a wide range of services. The largest numbers are hired by local governments, including positions such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

The United States also has 519,000 elected officials serving 87,576 governing bodies. Many of these officials are unpaid.


Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.


Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.

The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.

Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

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