What is public service?

Public service is work that benefits the public good, performed in government, in the armed forces, in nonprofit organizations, or in civic capacities, often with the explicit intent of serving fellow citizens rather than earning private profit. The term covers a broad range of activities.

Federal civilian employment includes more than two million workers across the executive branch agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and dozens of others, along with the legislative and judicial branches. State and local public service includes police officers, firefighters, public school teachers, social workers, public health nurses, parks staff, transit operators, and elected officials at every level from school board to governor. Military service is the most demanding form of public service and includes the active-duty Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard, along with their reserve components and the National Guard. Nonprofit and volunteer service such as work with the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Teach For America, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps also count as public service.

The federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, established by the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, forgives remaining federal student loan balances after ten years of qualifying payments while working for government or qualifying nonprofit employers.

The American tradition of public service has produced extraordinary figures. George Washington served as commander of the Continental Army before becoming the first President. Theodore Roosevelt served as a New York legislator, Civil Service Commissioner, Police Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, Vice President, and President. John F. Kennedy challenged Americans in his 1961 inaugural address to ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country, and his administration established the Peace Corps. Senator John McCain spent decades in public service after his Vietnam War experience. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor served as a state legislator, judge, and the first woman on the Supreme Court.

Public service often requires sacrifice, including lower compensation than equivalent private sector work, public scrutiny, and exposure to physical risk for first responders and military personnel. The benefits include the satisfaction of contributing to something larger than personal gain, building skills in leadership and collaboration, retirement security through programs such as the Federal Employees Retirement System, and the chance to shape public outcomes directly. Naturalization candidates may pursue many forms of public service after becoming citizens, including positions previously closed to non-citizens.