Agencies at the Top

For the 11th year in a row, NASA achieved the number one Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® ranking among large federal agencies, posting an engagement and satisfaction score of 84.3 out of 100. The Department of Health and Human Services ranked second with a score of 74.3, followed by the Intelligence Community at 71.9.  

In the midsize category, the Government Accountability Office maintained its first-place ranking with a score of 87.7. The GAO was followed by the National Science Foundation with a score of 82.8, while the Securities and Exchange Commission ranked third with a Best Places to Work score of 82.2.   

The top-ranked small agency was the Congressional Budget Office with a score of 88.9. Following in second place was the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation at 87.6. Close behind in third was the U.S. Office of Special Counsel at 86.1.  

The Office of Negotiations and Restructuring in the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ranked first out of 432 agency subcomponents with a score of 96.5 out of 100. It was followed by the Office of Support Operations in the Securities and Exchange Commission with a score of 91.4. The Office of the Executive Director at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ranked third with a score of 90.5.  

All of these federal agencies far exceeded the 2022 government-wide Best Places to Work employee engagement and satisfaction score of 63.4 out of 100. 

See the full rankings

Large Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	84.3
Department of Health and Human Services	74.3
Intelligence Community	71.9

Midsize Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Government Accountability Office	87.7
National Science Foundation	82.8
Securities and Exchange Commission	82.2

Small Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Congressional Budget Office	88.9
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation	87.6
Office of Special Counsel	86.1

The Most Improved Agencies

The Department of Agriculture was the most improved large agency, increasing its Best Places to Work score by one point from 61 to 62 out of 100. In the midsize category, the Small Business Administration jumped 5.9 points from 70.7 to 76.6 while the Federal Election Commission’s score rose 4.8 points to 61.6. Among the agency subcomponents, the Railroad Retirement Board’s Field Service’s score rose by 13.7 points for a Best Places to Work score of 60.8.  

	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Agency Name	2022	2021
Large Agency: Department of Agriculture	62.0	61.0
Midsize Agency: Small Business Administration	76.6	70.7
Small Agency: Federal Election Commission	61.6	56.8
Subcomponent Agency: Field Services, Railroad Retirement Board	60.8	47.1

Agencies at the Bottom

The Social Security Administration fell from 15th place in 2021 to 17th among large agencies, landing in last place with a 2022 Best Places to Work score of 53.9 out of 100. The Department of Homeland Security placed 16th with a score of 54.9, while the Department of Justice was 15th with a score of 55.3.  

In the midsize agency category, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency was last among 27 agencies with a score of 57.5. The National Labor Relations Board and U.S. Agency for Global Media finished just ahead at 59.7 and 62.8, respectively.

The Export-Import Bank went from 12th place in 2021 to last among 30 small agencies in 2022 with a score of 55.0. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative had a score of 57.9 and the International Boundary and Water Commission had a score of 60.4. 

Among this year’s 432 agency subcomponents, the Federal Bureau of Prisons in the Department of Justice finished last with a score of 35.5. The Office of the Inspector General at the Social Security Administration placed just above at 38.7 and the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office in the Department of Homeland Security had a score of 39.4. 

See the full rankings

Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) | Creative Commons license

Large Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
Department of Justice	55.3
Department of Homeland Security	54.9
Social Security Administration	53.9

Midsize Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
U.S. Agency for Global Media	62.8
National Labor Relations Board	59.7
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency	57.5

Small Agencies	Engagement and Satisfaction Score
International Boundary and Water Commission	60.4
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative	57.9
Export-Import Bank of the United States	55.0