Partnership for Public Service, Boston Consulting Group and The Washington Post unveil top agencies in 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings

May 15, 2024

NASA, GAO retain top honors among large and midsize agencies

WASHINGTON – The nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service and global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, in collaboration with The Washington Post, today released a preview of the 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® rankings, unveiling the top 10 agencies in each of four groupings—large, midsize and small agencies as well as their subcomponents.

NASA remained at the top of the large agency rankings for the 12th straight year, with the Department of Health and Human Services coming in second. Among midsize agencies, the Government Accountability Office maintained its top spot for the fourth year in a row. The National Indian Gaming Commission, a first-time participant in the rankings, claimed first place among small agencies, and the Office of Negotiations and Restructuring at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation topped the list of subcomponents.

“Agency leaders across government have prioritized employee engagement and satisfaction over the past year, and at a time when our nation faces both critical challenges and exciting opportunities at home and abroad, an engaged federal workforce is vitally important,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “The top-ranked agencies have excelled at keeping their workforces engaged and motivated and, as a result, they are well positioned to deliver results for the public.”

The complete top 10 rankings are available at bestplacestowork.org and The Washington Post. The government-wide employee engagement and satisfaction score for 2023, the full rankings for all 532 participating agencies, and data and analysis regarding many critical workplace issues will be released on May 20.

“Organizations that invest in their workforce reap the benefits of both engagement and productivity,” said Brooke Bollyky, leader of BCG’s Public Sector Practice in North America. “Our research shows that the future of work revolves around talent, particularly developing generative leaders and building a continuous learning culture.”

The Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings measure whether employees would recommend their agencies as good places to work and if they are satisfied with their jobs and organizations. Most of the data used to develop the rankings was collected by the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey between May and July 2023. Additional data came from individual agency surveys conducted between May and November 2023.  

“As the go-to brand for decision makers and opinion leaders in the nation’s capital, we’re committed to offering readers an inside look at new trends and new leaders within the federal government,” said Bronwen Latimer, special initiatives editor for The Washington Post. “We are thrilled to be working with the Partnership for a second year to highlight the best and brightest initiatives.”

Partnership for Public Service

During the past 22 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees. Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.     

Boston Consulting Group

BCG is a global management consulting firm dedicated to advising clients in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. We partner with our clients to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their challenges, and transform their enterprises so that they achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations and secure lasting results. In our work with the federal government, BCG is recognized for bringing commercial insights and best practices to our public sector clients. To learn more, visit BCG.com.

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