Government

What does the do?

Updates published annually

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is a subdivision of the Department of Agriculture responsible for managing US agriculture trade. The agency works to improve foreign market access for US products, build new markets, improve the competitive position of US agriculture in the global marketplace, and provide food aid and technical assistance to foreign countries. It was established in 1953.

In FY 2024,

$1.42B

was spent by the Foreign Agricultural Service
In FY 2024,

0.7%

of Dept. of Agriculture spending was by the Foreign Agricultural Service

How much does the Foreign Agricultural Service spend?

The Foreign Agricultural Service spent a net total of $1.42 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 0.7% of the $203.4 billion spent by the Department of Agriculture, which itself was 3% of all federal spending. The FAS ranked 13th among USDA subdivisions in net spending.
Net spending is the difference between agency spending and any financial accounts generating funds from the agency’s own activities, like fees or rent. When these funds offset all spending, net spending appears negative. Some agencies tend to operate with positive net spending while others will register negative net spending sometimes or often.

The Foreign Agricultural Service ranked 13th among Department of Agriculture divisions in net spending in 2024.

USDA net spending by division, FY 2024

Like the overall federal budget, agency spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Foreign Agricultural Service’s federal spending has decreased from $4.41 billion in 1980 to $1.42 billion in 2024.

The Foreign Agricultural Service’s federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.

Yearly federal net spending by FAS, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 1980–2024

Since 1980, the Foreign Agricultural Service's spending has decreased 67.8%, while overall spending has increased 193.7%.
As a percentage of the overall federal budget, a positive number means agency net spending made up some positive share of total federal spending; a negative number means that net generated funds offset a portion of total spending. FAS spending grew less than overall federal spending since 1980, which means that its share of the federal budget decreased. In 2024, FAS accounted for 0.021% of overall federal spending.

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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 Foreign Agricultural Service’s share of federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.

Net spending by FAS as a share of federal spending, FYs 1980–2024

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 Foreign Agricultural Service's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net FAS spending.

How did the Foreign Agricultural Service spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to FAS, FY 2024

How many people work for the Foreign Agricultural Service?

Some 739 of the 2.31 million total civilian federal employees work for the Foreign Agricultural Service as of September 2024. This is 24.7% fewer people than the division staffed in 2010.

The number of federal employees working for the Foreign Agricultural Service has decreased 24.7% since 2010.

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

The Foreign Agricultural Service accounts for 0.032% 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. The division constituted a smaller share of the overall federal workforce in September 2024 compared to 2010 (0.046%).
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 Foreign Agricultural Service's share of the workforce (0.032%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.021%).

Who leads the Foreign Agricultural Service?

The FAS is led by an administrator, who reports to the Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

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.

  • Office of Personnel Management

    FedScope

  • Office of Management and Budget and US Department of the Treasury

    Budget of the US Government and Monthly Treasury Statement

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