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What does the do?

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is a subdivision of the Department of Commerce responsible for granting patents for the protection of inventions and registering trademarks for product and intellectual property identification. The agency ensures that inventors and businesses have exclusive rights to their discoveries and branding. It was established in 1802.

In FY 2024,

-$272M

in net spending was recorded by the Patent and Trademark Office

How much does the United States Patent and Trademark Office spend?

The Patent and Trademark Office spent a net total of -$271.8 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024. The Patent and Trademark Office ranked 11th 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 Patent and Trademark Office ranked 11th 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 Patent and Trademark Office’s federal spending has decreased from $400 million (in 2024 dollars) in 1980 to -$271.8 million in 2024.

The Patent and Trademark Office’s federal spending in FY 2024 was lower than in FY 1980.

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

Since 1980, the Patent and Trademark Office's net spending has decreased by $671.7 million, while overall federal spending has increased from $2.31 trillion (in 1980 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 USPTO offset 0.004% 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 Patent and Trademark Office offset 0.004% of overall federal spending in FY 2024.

Net spending by USPTO 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 Patent and Trademark Office's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net USPTO spending.

How did the Patent and Trademark Office spend its budget in 2024?

Federal government net spending isolated to USPTO, FY 2024

How many people work for the United States Patent and Trademark Office?

Some 14,050 of the 2.31 million total civilian federal employees work for the Patent and Trademark Office as of September 2024. This is 47.9% more people than the division staffed in 2010.

The number of federal employees working for the Patent and Trademark Office has increased 47.9% since 2010.

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

The Patent and Trademark Office accounts for 0.6% 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 larger share of the overall federal workforce in September 2024 compared to 2010 (0.4%).
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 Patent and Trademark Office’s share of the workforce (0.6%) is larger than its share of the budget (-0.004%).

Who leads the United States Patent and Trademark Office?

The USPTO is led by the Undersecretary for Intellectual Property and Director. This individual is nominated by the President of the US and confirmed by the Senate. The Undersecretary reports to the Secretary of Commerce. The term length for this position is not fixed.

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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.

  • Office of Personnel Management

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