• 300+ million people in the U.S.
• 150+ or 180+ million in the labor force.
• ~50 million receive Social Security.
• 30+ million SS recipients are retired, plus another 2.5+ million spouses of retirees.
• 20+ million directly employed by government (federal, state, local).
• 10+ million federal contractors and grantees (state and local are unknown).
• 5+ million on welfare.

This means over 28% of the population and over 37% of the labor force is on a government payroll.

Notes:

1. The labor force is 150 million if the SS-retired are not counted, or 180 million if they are. It's reasonable to include them since they would not be retired if they did not receive SS. Therefore, the 37% figure includes SS-retirees as members of the labor force.
2. These figures only include those who can reasonably be considered as making their living from government funds. These figures don't include state and local contractors and grantees, or any other recipient of government benefits that don't typically measure up to a primary income.