What does the do?

Refreshed annually

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent agency responsible for protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. The agency's functions include banning dangerous consumer products, establishing safety requirements, issuing recalls, and conducting research on potential hazards. It was established in 1972.

In FY 2025,

$154M

was spent by the Consumer Product Safety Commission
In FY 2025,

<0.1%

of federal spending was by the Consumer Product Safety Commission

How much does the Consumer Product Safety Commission spend?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission spent $154 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was 0.0022% of the $7.04 trillion in overall federal spending. The agency ranked 58th among federal agencies in total spending.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission accounted for <0.1% of all federal spending in FY 2025.

Share of CPSC net spending compared to the top ten highest spending agencies in FY 2025

Federal spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s federal spending has decreased from $176.7 million in 1980 to $154 million in 2025.

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Yearly federal net spending by CPSC, adjusted for inflation (2025 dollars), FYs 1980–2025

Since 1980, Consumer Product Safety Commission spending has decreased 12.8%, while overall spending has increased 196.9%.
The department’s spending grew less than overall spending, which means that the department’s share of the federal budget decreased. In 2025, CPSC accounted for 0.0022% of all federal spending. That’s 0.001 percentage points lower than 2015 and 0.0053 points lower than in 1980.
Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission's share of federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Percentage of federal budget dedicated to CPSC, FYs 1980–2025

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2025, all of the Consumer Product Safety Commission's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net CPSC spending.

How did the Consumer Product Safety Commission spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to CPSC, FY 2025

How many people work for the Consumer Product Safety Commission?

Some 421 of the 2.02 million total civilian federal employees work for the Consumer Product Safety Commission as of May 2026. This is 21.9% fewer people than the department staffed in 2012.

The number of federal employees working for the Consumer Product Safety Commission has decreased 21.9% since 2012.

Number of federal employees working for CPSC, May 2012–2026

CPSC accounts for 0.021% of the overall federal workforce. As the number of federal employees has changed, so too has the way the workforce is organized, with resources allocated to agencies depending on government priorities. CPSC constituted a smaller share of the overall federal workforce in May 2026 than in 2012 (0.026%).
While the number of employees on an agency’s payroll contributes to that agency’s expenditures, some agencies have relatively few employees compared to their budget or vice versa, giving them an outsized share of either the budget or the workforce. According to the most recent data, the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s share of the workforce (0.021%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.0022%).

Who leads the Consumer Product Safety Commission?

The CPSC is led by a chairman who is one of the five commissioners. The commissioners are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for staggered seven-year terms.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.