Agencies at the Top
For the 10th year in a row, NASA achieved the number one Best Places to Work in the Federal Government ranking among large federal agencies, posting a 2021 engagement and satisfaction score of 85.1 out of 100. The Department of Health and Human Services ranked second with a score of 74.4 followed by the Department of Commerce at 73.7.
In the midsize category, the Government Accountability Office maintained its first place ranking with a score of 89.8. The GAO was followed by the National Science Foundation, which moved from fifth to second place with a score of 86.0, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ranked third with a Best Places to Work score of 84.1.
The top-ranked small agency is the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation at 85.6, rising from fourth place in 2020. Following in second place is the National Endowment for the Humanities at 84.9, climbing from 25th in the rankings. Close behind in third is the U.S. Office of Special Counsel at 84.8.
The Directorate for Education & Human Resources in the National Science Foundation ranked first out of 432 agency subcomponents with a score of 93 out of 100. It is followed by the Office of the Executive Director at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which posted a score of 92.5.
All of these federal agencies far exceeded the 2021 government-wide Best Places to Work employee engagement and satisfaction score of 64.5 out of 100 and were higher or just fell slightly short of the private sector score of 79.1.
See the full rankings| Large Agencies | Engagement Score |
|---|---|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 85.1 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 74.4 |
| Department of Commerce | 73.7 |
| Midsize Agencies | Engagement Score |
|---|---|
| Government Accountability Office | 89.8 |
| National Science Foundation | 86.0 |
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | 84.1 |
| Small Agencies | Engagement Score |
|---|---|
| Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation | 85.6 |
| National Endowment of the Humanities | 84.9 |
| Office of Special Counsel | 84.8 |
Agencies at the Bottom
For the 10th straight year, the Department of Homeland Security ranked last among 17 large agencies, posting a 2021 Best Places to Work score of 56.5 out of 100. The Department of Justice dropped from 13th to 16th with a score of 59.2, while the Social Security Administration was 15th with a score of 59.9.
In the midsize agency category, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency and the National Labor Relations Board tied for last place with scores of 60.9 points, followed by the U.S. Agency for Global Media at 64.7, which significantly improved from 2020.
The Federal Election Commission ranked last among 29 small agencies with a score of 56.8. The International Boundary and Water Commission placed second to last with a score of 57.2 while the National Gallery of Art ranked 27th with a score of 61.6.
For agency subcomponents, the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General ranked the last with a score of 33.3 while Federal Bureau of Prisons, part of the Department of Justice, was second to the last with a score of 40.8.
See the full rankingsPhoto Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) | Creative Commons license
| Large Agencies | Engagement Score |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | 59.9 |
| Department of Justice | 59.2 |
| Department of Homeland Security | 56.5 |
| Midsize Agencies | Engagement Score |
|---|---|
| U.S. Agency for Global Media | 64.7 |
| National Labor Relations Board | 60.9 |
| Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency | 60.9 |
| Small Agencies | Engagement Score |
|---|---|
| National Gallery of Art | 61.6 |
| International Boundary and Water Commission | 57.2 |
| Federal Election Commission | 56.8 |
