What does the do?

Updated annually

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is an independent agency responsible for providing oversight, policy, and guidance to the executive branch regarding ethics laws and policies. The agency's functions include establishing standards of conduct for executive branch employees, offering training and support to agency ethics offices, and ensuraing that agencies comply with requirements. It was established in 1978.

In FY 2024,

$23M

was spent by the Office of Government Ethics
In FY 2024,

<0.1%

of federal spending was by the Office of Government Ethics

How much does the Office of Government Ethics spend?

The Office of Government Ethics spent $23 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 0.00034% of the $6.78 trillion in overall federal spending. The department ranked 100th among federal agencies in total spending.

The Office of Government Ethics accounted for <0.1% of all federal spending in FY 2024.

Share of OGE net spending compared to the top ten highest spending agencies in FY 2024

Federal spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Office of Government Ethics’ federal spending has increased from $5.4 million in 1990 to $23 million in 2024.

The Office of Government Ethics’s federal spending in FY 2024 was higher than in FY 1990.

Yearly federal net spending by OGE, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 1990–2024

Since 1990, the Office of Government Ethics' spending has increased 325.4%, while overall spending has increased 122.5%.
The department’s spending grew more than overall spending, which means that the department’s share of the federal budget increased. In 2024, OGE accounted for 0.00034% of all federal spending. That’s 0.000086 percentage points lower than 2014 and 0.00016 points higher than in 1990.
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 Office of Government Ethics's share of federal spending in FY 2024 was higher than in FY 1990.

Percentage of federal budget dedicated to OGE, FYs 1990–2024

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 2024, all of the Office of Government Ethics' spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net OGE spending.

How did the Office of Government Ethics spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to OGE, FY 2024

How many people work for the Office of Government Ethics?

Some 74 of the 2.31 million total civilian federal employees work for the Office of Government Ethics as of September 2024. This is 3.9% fewer people than the agency staffed in 2010.

The number of federal employees working for the Office of Government Ethics has decreased 3.9% since 2010.

Number of federal employees working for OGE, September 2010–2024

OGE accounts for 0.0032% 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. OGE constituted a smaller share of the overall federal workforce in September 2024 than in 2010 (0.0037%).
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 Office of Government Ethics' share of the workforce (0.0032%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.00034%).

Who leads the Office of Government Ethics?

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is led by a director, who is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term.

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Methodology

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

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

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.