What does the do?

Refreshed annually

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent executive branch agency responsible for safeguarding employees’ rights to unionize and preventing unfair labor practices. Its functions include conducting union elections, investigating charges of unfair practices, deciding cases, and enforcing punishment. It was established in 1935.

In FY 2025,

$310M

was spent by the National Labor Relations Board
In FY 2025,

<0.1%

of federal spending was by the National Labor Relations Board

How much does the National Labor Relations Board spend?

National Labor Relations Board spent $310 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was 0.0044% of the $7.04 trillion in overall federal spending. The agency ranked 52nd among federal agencies in total spending.

The National Labor Relations Board accounted for <0.1% of all federal spending in FY 2025.

Share of NLRB 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 National Labor Relations Board’s federal spending has decreased from $436 million in 1980 to $310 million in 2025.

Get weekly insights

Subscribe for data-driven insights. No spin, just the facts.

The National Labor Relations Board’s federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

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

Since 1980, the National Labor Relations Board's spending has decreased 28.9%, 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, NLRB accounted for 0.0044% of all federal spending. That’s 0.0028 percentage points lower than 2015 and 0.014 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 National Labor Relations Board's share of federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Percentage of federal budget dedicated to NLRB, 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 National Labor Relations Board's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net NLRB spending.

How did the National Labor Relations Board spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to NLRB, FY 2025

How many people work for the National Labor Relations Board?

Some 1,000 of the 2.02 million total civilian federal employees work for the National Labor Relations Board as of May 2026. This is 36.7% fewer people than the department staffed in 2012.

The number of federal employees working for the National Labor Relations Board has decreased 36.7% since 2012.

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

NLRB accounts for 0.052% 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. NLRB constituted a smaller share of the overall federal workforce in May 2026 than in 2012 (0.078%).
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 National Labor Relations Board’s share of the workforce (0.052%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.0044%).

Who leads the National Labor Relations Board?

The NLRB is led by a chairman and a general counsel known as "the board." The chairman oversees the board’s adjudicative functions, while the general counsel is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of unfair labor practice cases. Both the chairman and the general counsel are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Board member terms are five years.

Keep exploring

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.