What does the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) do?
Updates published annually
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is a subdivision of the Department of Agriculture responsible for providing statistics in service to national agriculture. It was established in 1863.
In FY 2024,
$588M
was spent by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
In FY 2024,
0.3%
of Dept. of Agriculture spending was by the National Agricultural Statistics Service
How much does the National Agricultural Statistics Service spend?
The National Agricultural Statistics Service spent a net total of $588.2 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 0.3% of the $203.4 billion spent by the Department of Agriculture, which itself was 3% of all federal spending. The NASS ranked 17th 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 National Agricultural Statistics Service ranked 17th 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 National Agricultural Statistics Service’s federal spending has increased from $195.1 million in 1980 to $588.2 million in 2024.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service’s federal spending in FY 2024 was higher than in FY 1980.
Yearly federal net spending by NASS, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 1980–2024
Since 1980, the National Agricultural Statistics Service's spending has increased 201.5%, 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. NASS spending grew more than overall federal spending since 1980, which means that its share of the federal budget increased. In 2024, NASS accounted for 0.0087% 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 National Agricultural Statistics Service’s share of federal spending in FY 2024 was higher than in FY 1980.
Net spending by NASS 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 National Agricultural Statistics Service's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net NASS spending.
How did the National Agricultural Statistics Service spend its budget in 2024?
Federal government net spending isolated to NASS, FY 2024
How many people work for the National Agricultural Statistics Service?
Some 800 of the 2.31 million total civilian federal employees work for the National Agricultural Statistics Service as of September 2024. This is 25.4% fewer people than the division staffed in 2010.
The number of federal employees working for the National Agricultural Statistics Service has decreased 25.4% since 2010.
Number of federal employees working for NASS, September 2010–2024
The National Agricultural Statistics Service accounts for 0.035% 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 (0.051%).
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 Agricultural Statistics Service's share of the workforce (0.035%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.0087%).
Who leads the National Agricultural Statistics Service?
The NASS is led by an administrator. The Administrator reports to the Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics.
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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.
