U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for January 16

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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MONDAY, JANUARY 16: CIVIL SERVICE ESTABLISHED

Profile America — Monday, January 16th.  The U.S. Civil Service is 140 years old today, as Congress in 1872 replaced the discredited system of hiring public servants according to personal connections with one based on knowledge, skills and accomplishments.  Most federal employees are covered by this merit system, from computer programmers and park rangers to nuclear scientists and statisticians.  For the better part of 30 years, the number of federal civil servants has remained steady at close to 3 million.  At the same time, the number of state employees has risen slightly to just over 5 million, while local government employment has grown to almost 14.5 million.  Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America—People, Places, and Our Economy.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 87
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 461

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau