FederalPay.org
FederalPay.org
Department of Justice - Federal Departments
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Year Founded:
1870
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Employees:
115,897
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Outlay:
$46B / year
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Employee Expense:
$4.37B in 2022
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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.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) enforces the law of the United States and works to ensure the law is enforced fairly and impartially. The DoJ provides leadership in creating federal policy to limit crime and ensure laws and punishments are just. The DoJ is equivalent to the Interior Ministries in other countries.
Who does the Department of Justice hire?
The DoJ hires Legal Clerics, Paralegals, Attorneys, Auditors and experts in all area of the law. The DoJ also employs a large number of interns in the legal field.
In 2022, the most common occupation employed by the Department of Justice was Correctional Officer at 16,288 employees. The second largest occupation was Criminal Investigation with 13,788 employees.
The DoJ is based in the Robert F. Kennedy Building in Washington D.C. The majority the DoJs work force is located there however there are lawyers, attorneys, and other DoJ positions located in all 50 states.
History of the Department of Justice
The Attorney General position, created in 1789, was originally a one-person part-time job with the primary purpose of providing legal advice to congress the president. Over the years, the Attorney General position grew into a bureaucracy. On July 1, 1870, congress passed legislation officially creating the Department of Justice with the Attorney General leading the department.
The main role of the Justice Department was to oversee the nation's federal attorneys, solicitor generals, and federal courts. The law also made it illegal for the federal government to employee private attorneys. The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 created the first federal law enforcement agency and was to be administered by the DoJ. The DoJ also created several federal penitentiaries. The law enforcement role of the DoJ would later be transferred to the Department of the Interior.
Position of Attorney General created in 1789, but had no department until 1870
Average Pay of an Employee in the Department of Justice
Agencies in the Department of Justice (2022)
| Agency | Employee Count | Total Salary Expense | Average Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Bureau of Investigation | 37,799 | $688.45M | $121,228 |
| Bureau of Prisons/Federal Prison System | 35,653 | $1.63B | $86,050 |
| Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Offices of the U.S. Attorneys | 11,840 | $135.39M | $126,654 |
| Drug Enforcement Administration | 8,955 | $188.38M | $128,066 |
| Offices, Boards and Divisions | 6,660 | $947.54M | $144,112 |
| U.S. Marshals Service | 5,313 | $138.8M | $110,690 |
| Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives | 5,040 | $77.01M | $132,549 |
| Executive Office for Immigration Review | 2,456 | $293.11M | $119,541 |
| U.S. Trustee Program | 992 | $124.54M | $125,668 |
| Office of Justice Programs | 620 | $86.5M | $139,517 |
| Office of the Inspector General (Department of Justice) | 534 | $49.87M | $129,202 |
| Community Relations Service | 35 | $4.75M | $135,615 |
Data Sources
The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.
Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.
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