Department of Homeland Security - Federal Departments

Year Founded: 2002

Employees: 212,484

Outlay: $40B / year

Employee Expense: $5.81B in 2021

The Federal Government is broken down into fifteen departments, each of which consists of a number of sub-departments and organizational groups tasked with accomplishing the Department's overall goals.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. DHS is equivalent to the Interior Ministries in other countries. While the Department of Defense is charged with managing military action abroad, the Department of Homeland Security is focused on the civilian sphere and protecting Americans within the borders. DHS is tasked with a narrow and vital focus: to secure the United State against any and all threats we face. DHSs dedicated employees work in fields ranging from border protection and emergence response to cybersecurity and chemical safety. DHS is well known for its Homeland Security Advisory System that rates the threats our nation faces on scale from 1 to 5 which are described as Low, Guarded, Elevated, High, or Severe threat.

Who does the Department of Homeland Security hire?

The DHS hires a wide range of professionals including law enforcement officers, legal professionals, scientists, intelligence experts, and cybersecurity experts. DHS is a large employer of veterans of our armed forces.

In 2021, the most common occupation employed by the Department of Homeland Security was Compliance Inspection And Support at 46,451 employees. The second largest occupation was Customs And Border Protection with 25,706 employees.

Based in Washington D.C., the DHS was formed by consolidating several smaller agencies from across the federal government. As a result, today the DHS has positions in many locations across the county.

History of the Department of Homeland Security

DHS was created by President George W. Bush in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001 and was officially established on November 25, 2002. The bill was passed with little opposition despite legislative riders in the bill regarding abortion and unions. The creation of the DHS was the largest reorganization of the federal government since the creation of the DoD in 1949.

Twenty-two agencies from across other federal departments were consolidated in the DHS. Notably the Federal Bureau of Investigation the Central Intelligence Agency remained independent and were not merged into the DHS.

Average Pay of an Employee in the Department of Homeland Security

Agencies in the Department of Homeland Security (2021)