What does the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) do?
Updates published annually
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) is a subdivision of the Department of Commerce responsible for making federal data available to the public. It was established in 1950.
In FY 2024,
-$3.94M
in net spending was recorded by the National Technical Information Service
How much does the National Technical Information Service spend?
The National Technical Information Service spent a net total of -$3.94 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. The NTIS ranked 10th among DOC 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 Technical Information Service ranked 10th among Department of Commerce divisions in net spending in 2024.
DOC 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 Technical Information Service’s federal spending has decreased from $77.1 million (in 2024 dollars) in 1980 to -$3.94 million in 2024.
The National Technical Information Service’s federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.
Yearly federal net spending by NTIS, adjusted for inflation (2024 dollars), FYs 1980–2024
Since 1980, the National Technical Information Service's net spending has decreased by $81.1 million, while overall federal spending has increased from $2.31 trillion (in 2024 dollars) to $6.78 trillion, or 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. In 2024, the NTIS offset 0.000058% of all federal spending with negative net 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 Technical Information Service offset 0.000058% of overall federal spending in FY 2024.
Net spending by NTIS 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 Technical Information Service's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net NTIS spending.
How did the National Technical Information Service spend its budget in 2024?
Federal government net spending isolated to NTIS, FY 2024
How many people work for the National Technical Information Service?
Some 36 of the 2.31 million total civilian federal employees work for the National Technical Information Service as of September 2024. This is 69.5% less people than the division staffed in 2010.
The number of federal employees working for the National Technical Information Service has decreased 69.5% since 2010.
Number of federal employees working for NTIS, September 2010–2024
The National Technical Information Service accounts for 0.0016% 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 (0.0056%).
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 Technical Information Service's share of the workforce (0.0016%) is larger than its share of the budget (-0.000058%).
Who leads the National Technical Information Service?
The NTIS is led by a director, who reports to the Undersecretary for Standards and Technology.
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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.
