Government

What does the do?

Updates published annually

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a subdivision of the US Department of Labor responsible for ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. OSHA's mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths by issuing and enforcing rules (called standards) for workplace safety and health. It was established in 1970.

In FY 2024,

$664M

was spent by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
In FY 2024,

1.2%

of Dept. of Labor spending was by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration

How much does the Occupational Safety and Health Administration spend?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration spent a net total of $664 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. This was 1.2% of the $54.3 billion spent by the Department of Labor, which itself was 0.8% of all federal spending. The OSHA ranked 4th among DOL 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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration ranked 4th among Department of Labor divisions in net spending in 2024.

DOL 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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s federal spending has decreased from $694.1 million in 1980 to $664 million in 2024.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.

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

Since 1980, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's spending has decreased 4.3%, 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. OSHA spending grew less than overall federal spending since 1980, which means that its share of the federal budget decreased. In 2024, OSHA accounted for 0.0098% 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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s share of federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.

Net spending by OSHA 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, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration transferred 29.4% of its total spending to states and local governments.
The chart below outlines all net OSHA spending.

How did the Occupational Safety and Health Administration spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to OSHA, FY 2024

How many people work for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?

Some 1,896 of the 2.31 million total civilian federal employees work for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as of September 2024. This is 17.2% fewer people than the division staffed in 2010.

The number of federal employees working for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has decreased 17.2% since 2010.

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

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration accounts for 0.082% 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 (0.1%).
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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration's share of the workforce (0.082%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.0098%).

Who leads the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?

The OSHA is led by an Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. This individual is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The Assistant Secretary reports to the Secretary of Labor. There is no fixed term for this position.

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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.

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