Agencies at the Top

For the 13th year in a row, NASA achieved the number one Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® ranking among large federal agencies, posting a 2024 engagement and satisfaction score of 81.6 out of 100. In second place, with a score of 79.9, was the Environmental Protection Agency, whose growing employee numbers shifted the organization from the midsize into the large agency grouping. The Department of Health and Human Services ranked third with a score of 76.3.

In the midsize agency grouping, the Government Accountability Office maintained its first-place ranking with a score of 87.7. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the General Services Administration tied for second place with a score of 85. 

The top-ranked small agency, with a score of 92.1, was the National Indian Gaming Commission. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation was in second place at 90.1 followed by the National Endowment for the Humanities at 88.4. 

This year, we divided the subcomponents into three groups based on workforce size. Large subcomponents have 15,000 or more employees, midsize have between 14,999 and 1,000 employees and small subcomponents have fewer than 1,000 employees.

The National Institutes of Health, within the Department of Health and Human Services, topped the large subcomponent list at 81.4. Following it was another HHS subcomponent, the Food and Drug Administration, in second place with a score of 79.1. The Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Servies was in third place with a score of 77.8.

In first place among the midsize subcomponents was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kennedy Space Center with a score of 86.9. Second place went to the Office of Inspector General at HHS with a score of 86.1. Another NASA subcomponent rounded out the top three with the Johnson Space Center scoring 85.4.

The small subcomponents were led by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s Office of Negotiations and Restructuring with a score of 94.2. In second place was the Office of General Counsel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, with a score of 91.5. Another PBGC subcomponent, the Office of General Counsel, placed third with a score of 91.2

All these federal agencies far exceeded the 2024 government-wide Best Places to Work employee engagement and satisfaction score of 67.7 out of 100.

See the full rankings

Large Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	81.6
Environmental Protection Agency	79.9
Department of Health and Human Services	76.3

Midsize Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Government Accountability Office	87.7
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	85.0
General Services Administration	85.0

Small Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
National Indian Gaming Commission	92.1
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	90.1
National Endowment for the Humanities	88.4

Large Subcomponents	Parent Agency	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
National Institutes of Health	Department of Health and Human Services	81.4
Food and Drug Administration	Department of Health and Human Services	79.1
Citizenship and Immigration Servies	Department of Homeland Security	77.8

Midsize Subcomponents	Parent Agency	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Kennedy Space Center	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	86.9
Office of the Inspector General	Department of Health and Human Services	86.1
Johnson Space Center	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	85.4

Small Subcomponents	Parent Agency	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Office of Negotiations and Restructuring	Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	94.2
Office of General Counsel	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	91.5
Office of General Counsel	Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	91.2

The Most Improved Agencies¹

The Department of Homeland Security was the most improved large agency for the second year in a row, increasing its Best Places to Work score by 3.7 points for a score of 65.1 out of 100. In the midsize agency grouping, the National Credit Union Administration improved by 4.9 points for a score of 80, while in the small agency grouping, the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s score rose 13.3 points to 72.5.

Among the large agency subcomponents, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement rose 7.3 points to 62.7, playing a significant role in the overall improvement at DHS. The Foreign Agricultural Service at the Department of Agriculture, the most improved among the midsize subcomponents, increased by 13.7 points to 67.6. Among the small subcomponents, the most improved was the Army Military District of Washington, which jumped 15 points for a score of 73.

Agency Size	Agency Name	2024 Engagement and Satisfaction Score	Change in Score
Large Agency	Department of Homeland Security	65.1	+3.7
Midsize Agency	National Credit Union Administration	80.0	+4.9
Small Agency	Millennium Challenge Corporation	72.5	+13.3
Large Subcomponent	Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement	62.7	+7.3
Midsize Subcomponent	Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service	67.6	+4.9
Small Subcomponent	Department of the Army, Army Military District of Washington	73.0	+15.0

Agencies at the Bottom

The Social Security Administration remained in last place among large agencies with a 2024 Best Places to Work score of 54.2 out of 100. The Department of Justice was 17th with a score of 61.3, while the Department of State was in 16th place with a score of 62.8.

In the midsize agency grouping, the National Labor Relations Board was last with a score of 58.8. The U.S. Agency for International Development ranked second to last with a score of 63 points, while the U.S. Agency for Global Media was third to last with a score of 65.2.

The Export-Import Bank remained last among 32 small agencies with a score of 39.4, followed by the Federal Maritime Commission with a score of 47.2. The Merit Systems Protection Board ranked 30th with a score of 55.6.

Among this year’s large subcomponents, the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the Department of Justice was last with a score of 41 out of 100. The Deputy Commissioner for Operations at the Social Security Administration was next to last with a score of 50.6 followed by the Department of Defense’s Defense Health Agency with a score of 57.9.

Among the midsize subcomponents is the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, which registered the lowest score of 54.9 in this group, followed by the Department of Defense’s Defense Commissary Agency at 55.4. Another State Department organization, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, scored 57.6.

At the bottom of the 272 small subcomponents was the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation within the Department of Transportation with a score of 25.3, the lowest score in the 2024 rankings across groups of any size. In 271st place was the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Office of the Chief Operating Officer at 27.8. The agency third from the bottom was the National Gallery of Art’s Chief Curator with a score of 36.5.

Large Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Department of State	62.8
Department of Justice	61.3
Social Security Administration	54.2

Midsize Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
U.S. Agency for Global Media	65.2
U.S. Agency for International Development	63.0
National Labor Relations Board	58.8

Small Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative	55.6
Federal Maritime Commission	47.2
Export-Import Bank of the United States	39.4

Large Subcomponents	Parent Agency	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Federal Bureau of Prisons	Department of Justice	41.0
Deputy Commissioner for Operations	Social Security Administration	50.6
Defense Health Agency	Department of Defense	57.9

Midsize Subcomponents	Parent Agency	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs	Department of State	54.9
Defense Commissary Agency	Department of Defense	55.4
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs	Department of State	57.9

Small Subcomponents	Parent Agency	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation	Department of Transportation	25.3
Office of the Chief Operating Officer	Federal Housing Finance Agency	27.8
Chief Curator	National Gallery of Art	36.5