There’s an old saying that a government job is a good one because of the benefits – like having so many holidays. It might be a bit of a running joke, but it’s no joke that the federal government does offer good benefits and they do employ a large number of US citizens. If you’re looking for a government agency with which to find employment, you might consider looking to one of the largest government agencies in the country. Here are the top five.
USDA
The US Department of Agriculture is one of the largest government agencies in the country. In fact, the company employs approximately 105,000 residents. In 2013, the governmental budget cuts forced the USDA to downsize a bit, laying off approximately 4,500 employees. This cut puts the agency just a few hundred employees above the US Department of Treasury.
DOJ
The United States Department of Justice is another significant government agency. The nearly 114,000 employees here work with and to oversee agencies such as the DEA and the FBI and the CIA. Believe it or not, the DOJ is one of the youngest government agencies, not being created until 1870.
Homeland Security
It’s not a department many people took notice of until after the attacks on the US in 2001. These terrorist attacks put the Department of Homeland Security front and center, and the agency is in the news almost daily. Of course, that’s because the DHS wasn’t in existence until after 9/11. Of course, the DHS actually consists of more than 12 different agencies that have been around centuries, including portions of the military, border and customs patrol and even the Secret Service. It employs more than 240,000 people.
VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs comes into play often in every day conversation. There’s always someone who feels this particular government agency doesn’t do what it should, and there’s always someone grateful for all the VA does for its vets. The agency employs more than 302,000 people, and was the beneficiary of a budget increase just recently.
Department of Defense
Housed in the Pentagon, a building named aptly for the fact that it’s shaped like (you guessed it) a Pentagon, is the world’s largest employer. The DoD employs millions. More than 718,000 employees of the Department of Defense are civilians. Approximately 2.5 million men and women are active duty military and reserve – including National Guard – which puts the employment at the DoD at more than 3 million people.
(Photo by Andy Dunaway/USAF via Getty Images)
