What does the do?

Refreshed annually

The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is a subdivision of the Department of Labor responsible for enforcing federal labor laws related to minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor. The agency ensures that workers receive fair compensation and work in safe conditions by conducting investigations and providing education and outreach to both employers and employees. It was established in 1938.

In FY 2025,

$315M

was spent by the Wage and Hour Division
In FY 2025,

0.6%

of Dept. of Labor spending was by the Wage and Hour Division

How much does the Wage and Hour Division spend?

The Wage and Hour Division spent a net total of $315 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was 0.6% of the $54.6 billion spent by the Department of Labor, which itself was 0.8% of all federal spending. The WHD ranked 6th 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 Wage and Hour Division ranked 6th among Department of Labor divisions in net spending in 2025.

DOL net spending by division, FY 2025

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 Wage and Hour Division’s federal spending has increased from $1.47 million in 2010 to $315 million in 2025.

Get weekly insights

Subscribe for data-driven insights. No spin, just the facts.

The Wage and Hour Division’s federal spending in FY 2025 was higher than in FY 2010.

Yearly federal net spending by WHD, adjusted for inflation (2025 dollars), FYs 2010–2025

Since 2010, Wage and Hour Division's spending has increased 21,297.5%, while overall spending has increased 37.5%.
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. WHD spending grew more than overall federal spending since 2010, which means that its share of the federal budget increased. In 2025, WHD accounted for 0.0045% of overall federal spending.
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 Wage and Hour Division’s share of federal spending in FY 2025 was higher than in FY 2010.

Net spending by WHD as a share of federal spending, FYs 2010–2025

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 2025, all of the Wage and Hour Division's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net WHD spending.

How did the Wage and Hour Division spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to WHD, FY 2025

Some 1,196 of the 2.03 million total federal employees work for the Wage and Hour Division as of May 2026. This is 35.2% fewer people than the division staffed in 2012.

The number of federal employees working for the Wage and Hour Division has decreased 35.2% since 2012.

Number of federal employees working for WHD, May 2012–2026

The Wage and Hour Division accounts for 0.059% 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 May 2026 compared to 2012 (0.087%).
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 Wage and Hour Division’s share of the workforce (0.059%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.0045%).

Who leads the Wage and Hour Division?

WHD is led by an administrator. This individual is appointed by the President of the United States and does not require Senate confirmation. The Administrator of WHD reports to the Secretary of Labor.

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.