More than 13,000 federal employees in North Jersey could be affected if the sequestration cuts go into effect after Friday's deadline.

The numbers above show the federal employees by county in New Jersey in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. It compiles the data from the Office of Personnel Management, Federal Employment Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (U.S. Postal Service Employees are excluded in this count. The USPS receives no tax dollars in its operations and would not be affected by the sequestration cuts.)

Essex County residents could potentially feel the greatest impact, as it has the largest share of federal employees in New Jersey with more than 7,000 in 2012. Morris County also could feel an outsized effect, as there were almost 5,000 federal workers within the county. Somerset also has a substantial complement of federal employees, with more than 1,000.

No one knows for certain what the sequestration cuts, some $85 billion, will mean exactly. Even if the March 1 federal cuts are enacted, the full effects would not be felt immediately. The government is required to alert impacted agencies of what cuts are to be made and what workers are to be furloughed.

The majority of federal employees at work in North Jersey are concentrated in the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.