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Which Federal Agencies and Departments are Hiring?

The short answer: All of them! Read on to learn more about the different parts of the federal government that you can work for. (Hover the mouse over department titles to learn more!)

Cabinet Departments

There are 15 cabinet departments that make up the executive branch of the federal government. Here's a list, with links to their web sites.

Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The USDA has broad responsibilities regarding food: it manages governmental policies and regulations of farming and agriculture, food quality standards, natural resource protection, rural development and community building, and anti-poverty programs like food stamps.
http://www.usda.gov
Department of Commerce
Charged with promoting job creation and maintaining high living standards for all Americans, the Commerce Department's activities include conducting censuses, regulating patents and trademarks, and setting standards for industry. It also encompasses the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which conducts weather predictions and related research.
http://www.commerce.gov
Department of Defense (DOD)
The DOD is in charge of everything relating to national security and the military — and it employs almost 700,000 civilians! It is responsible for military supplies, pay and benefits, and includes the armed forces and noncombat agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA).
http://www.defenselink.mil
Department of Education (ED)
ED is the smallest cabinet department, but its responsibilities are huge: It controls the nation's public education system, collecting statistics, managing federal financial aid, working to improve national literacy, and overseeing state- and local-level education initiatives.
http://www.ed.gov
Department of Energy
DOE maintains federal policies and regulations regarding energy and nuclear weapons. It funds and conducts a broad range of research, on energy conservation, nuclear power and safety, and energy production, and it also manages oil policies and the strategic petroleum reserve.
http://www.energy.gov
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Established in 1980, HHS is charged with providing health-related services to all American citizens. It includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which conducts biomedical research, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates medicinal and food quality control.
http://www.dhhs.gov
Department of Homeland Security
Security from terrorist attacks and natural disasters is the mission of DHS. Formed in 2002, it is one of the largest cabinet agencies and incorporates dozens of other agencies related to civilian safety — including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
http://www.dhs.gov
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD helps citizens get access to safe, decent, and affordable housing. It gives loans for home purchases and improvements, subsidizes housing for low-income families, and enforces regulations for fair and equal housing access.
http://www.hud.gov
Department of the Interior (DOI)
DOI regulates usage of and access to the nation's natural resources and federally owned land, overseeing federal dams, reservoirs, monuments, parks, wildlife refuges, and the like. It is also responsible for managing programs serving the Native American populations.
http://www.doi.gov
Department of Justice (DOJ)
The DOJ's responsibilities are broad: it investigates and prosecutes violators of the law, defends the federal government in its legal matters, manages the process of immigrants' naturalization, and keeps up federal prisons and related projects. The FBI is also a part of DOJ.
http://www.usdoj.gov
Department of Labor (DOL)
One of the smaller cabinet departments, DOL protects the nation's workers, by implementing and enforcing federal regulations on disability compensation, wage and workday boundaries, unemployment benefits, and occupational safety. http://www.dol.gov
Department of State
The State Department is the federal government's foreign affairs bureau, advising the president on foreign policy matters and coordinating a wide range of other activities. Its responsibilities include protecting Americans abroad, assisting U.S.-owned businesses operating in other countries, and maintaining diplomatic relationships with other countries.
http://www.state.gov
Department of Transportation (DOT)
DOT is in charge of all federal matters of transportation, with offices on public transit, interstate railroads and highways, air travel, and even canals and waterways. It also administers safety regulations for the transport of hazardous and raw materials.
http://www.dot.gov
Department of the Treasury
The Treasury does more than just printing dollar bills — it also manages federal budgets and public debt, collects taxes and dues and disburses federal payments, supervises national banks, tracks down tax evaders and other violators of federal law, and advises domestic and international matters of fiscal policy.
http://www.ustreas.gov
Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)
Once called the Veterans Administration, today's VA administers programs serving veterans of military service and their families. It provides health services directly through hospitals and medical clinics, and it distributes benefits including education, pensions, loans, and insurance to those who've served the country in times of war.
http://www.va.gov

Federal Agencies

The majority of career opportunities are in the cabinet departments, but that doesn't mean you should stop there! Dozens of other independent agencies and government corporations need new workers too. Here's a sampling.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
The CIA is the nation's coordinator of intelligence activities. Agency personnel provide foreign intelligence for officials responsible for national security policy and conduct counterintelligence activities.
http://www.cia.gov
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
The Congressional Budget Office provides Congress with non-partisan analyses for economic and budgetary decisions. In addition to helping the congressional Budget Committees with economic forecasts and cost estimates for policies introduced in bills, the CBO also analyzes the President's budget.
http://www.cbo.gov
Corporation for National and Community Service
Working with nonprofit and faith-based organizations, schools and other entities, the Corporation for National and Community Service supports voluntary service of Americans of all ages through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn and Serve.
http://www.nationalservice.gov
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA safeguards the nation's air, water, and land. Working with other federal agencies and state and local governments and Indian tribes, EPA employees are responsible for environmental research and standards setting.
http://www.epa.gov
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The FCC regulates interstate and international radio, television, satellite, cable and wire communications.
http://www.fcc.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
FEMA is the federal government's emergency preparedness and disaster response and relief entity. The scope of FEMA's work includes everything from floods to earthquakes to the transport of hazardous substances.
http://www.fema.gov
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
The GAO is the government's central watchdog agency. At the request of members of Congress, GAO personnel investigates, audits and evaluates government programs and then issues public reports on their findings.
http://www.gao.gov
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the nation's library and serves as the research arm for Congress. It also has the distinction of being the largest library in the world, with more than 120 million books, recordings, maps, manuscripts and photographs.
http://www.loc.gov
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA staff and astronauts are the nation's vanguards in space exploration. The Apollo missions and Space Shuttle flights are just some of the more famous examples of NASA's work.
http://www.nasa.gov
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
The NRC regulates the nation's civilian use of nuclear material to protect public health and safety. The three main areas of oversight are nuclear reactors, the handling of nuclear waste and, the use of nuclear materials in medical, industry and other settings.
http://www.nrc.gov
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
The OMB is responsible for formulating the President's budget and coordinating the administration's procurement and financial management. In the process of budget development, the OMB also evaluates and shapes agency programs and policies.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
OPM is the federal government's human resources agency. In addition to working with agencies to create systems to recruit, develop, manage and retain a high quality and diverse workforce, OPM is also responsible for regulating these systems.
http://www.opm.gov
Social Security Administration
The Social Security Administration sends Social Security checks to the nation's retired and disabled and their families. It collects funds for these and other programs from earnings identified by each American's Social Security number.
http://www.ssa.gov
The Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution provides the American public with educational programs and research as well as access to dozens of museums in Washington, DC, and the National Zoo.
http://www.si.edu
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
USAID promotes economic growth and development abroad in support of U.S. foreign policy. Working with foreign governments as well as business and non-profit organizations, USAID operates health, democracy, agriculture and conflict prevention programs.
http://www.usaid.gov

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Give me more!

There are hundreds of agencies and departments in total, working independently or as parts of some of those mentioned above. You can view the full list at USA.gov, the federal government's umbrella web site.

Go to the A-Z Index of All Agencies and Departments