The
United States federal executive departments are among the oldest primary units of the executive branch of the
federal government of the United StatesThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
—the Departments of
StateThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
,
WarThe United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
, and the
TreasuryThe Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
all being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789.
Federal executive departments are analogous to
ministriesA ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
common in
parliamentaryA parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
or
semi-presidentialThe semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state...
systems but, with the United States being a
presidential systemA presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
, their heads otherwise equivalent to
ministersA minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
, do not form a
governmentA ministry refers to a collective body of government ministers headed by a prime minister or premier. Although the term "cabinet" can in some circumstances be a synonym, a ministry can be a broader concept which might include office-holders that do not participate in cabinet meetings...
(in a parliamentary sense) nor are they led by a
head of governmentHead of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
separate from the
head of stateA head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
. The heads of the federal executive departments, known as secretaries of their respective department, form the traditional
CabinetThe Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
, an executive organ that serves at the disposal of the
presidentThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and normally act as an advisory body to the presidency.
Since 1792, by statutory specification, the cabinet constituted a
line of successionThe United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a president-elect.- Current order :This is a list of the current presidential line of...
, after the
Speaker of the HouseThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
and the
president pro tempore of the SenateThe President pro tempore is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate. The United States Constitution states that the Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate and the highest-ranking official of the Senate despite not being a member of the body...
to the
presidencyThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in the event of a vacancy in both that office and the
vice presidencyThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
. The
ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
refers to these officials when it authorizes the President, in Article II, section 2, to "require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices." In brief, they and their organizations are the administrative arms of the President.
Executive Departments of the present
All departments are listed by their present-day name and only departments with past or present cabinet-level status are listed.
Order of successionThe United States presidential line of succession defines who may become or act as President of the United States upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office of a sitting president or a president-elect.- Current order :This is a list of the current presidential line of...
has always included the
Vice PresidentThe Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
; at times – including presently – the
Speaker of the House-National governments:* Speaker of the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda* Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives* Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belize* Speaker of the House of Representatives...
and the President pro tempore of the Senate have also been included.
Department
|
Creation
|
Order of
succession
|
Notes |
2009 Outlays
in billions
of dollars
|
Employees
|
StateThe United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
|
1781 |
4 |
Initially named "Department of Foreign Affairs" |
16.39 |
18,900 |
TreasuryThe Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
|
1789 |
5 |
|
19.56 |
115,897 |
DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
|
1947 |
6 |
Initially named "National Military Establishment" 1947-49 |
651.16 |
3,000,000 |
JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
|
1870 |
7 |
Position of Attorney GeneralThe United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
created in 1789, but had no department until 1870 |
46.20 |
112,557 |
| Interior The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
|
1849 |
8 |
|
90.00 |
71,436 |
AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
|
1862 |
9 |
|
134.12 |
109,832 |
| Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
|
1903 |
10 |
Originally named Commerce and Labor The United States Department of Commerce and Labor was a short-lived Cabinet department of the United States government, which was concerned with Business.It was created on February 14, 1903...
; Labor later separated |
15.77 |
43,880 |
LaborThe United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
|
1913 |
11 |
|
137.97 |
17,347 |
| Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
|
1953 |
12 |
Originally named Health, Education, and Welfare; Education later separated |
879.20 |
67,000 |
Housing and Urban DevelopmentThe United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government...
|
1965 |
13 |
|
40.53 |
10,600 |
TransportationThe United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
|
1966 |
14 |
|
73.20 |
58,622 |
EnergyThe United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
|
1977 |
15 |
|
24.10 |
109,094 |
| Education The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
|
1980 |
16 |
|
45.40 |
4,487 |
Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
|
1989 |
17 |
Initially named "Veterans Administration" |
97.70 |
235,000 |
Homeland SecurityThe United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
|
2002 |
18 |
|
40.00 |
208,000 |
| Total outlays, employees: |
$3,997.80B |
4,193,144 |
Executive Departments of the past
| Department |
Dates of Operation |
Notes |
| Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
|
1789–1947 |
Renamed Department of the Army The Department of the Army is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency which the United States Army is organized within, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has...
in 1947 |
| Post Office Department The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
|
1792–1971 |
Reorganized as quasi-independent agency, United States Postal ServiceThe United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
|
| Department of Commerce and Labor The United States Department of Commerce and Labor was a short-lived Cabinet department of the United States government, which was concerned with Business.It was created on February 14, 1903...
|
1903–1913 |
Divided between Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
and Department of LaborThe United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
|
| Department of the Army The Department of the Army is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency which the United States Army is organized within, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has...
|
1947–1949 |
From 1947-1949, these departments were executive departments with non-cabinet level secretaries who reported to the a civilian Secretary of Defense with cabinet rank but no department. From 1949 on, they were Military Departments within the Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
|
| Department of the Navy The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
|
1798–1949 |
| Department of the Air Force |
1947–1949 |
| Department of Health, Education, and Welfare |
1953–1979 |
Divided between Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
and Department of EducationThe United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
|