Forest Service (USDA)
Mission: To protect and manage national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service also provides technical and financial assistance to state and private forest landowners, cities, and urban communities, and develops and provides scientific and technical knowledge.
Parent Agency
Department of Agriculture - Score: 61.8
Scores and Rankings
Save as PDF| Best in Class Scores | 2010 | 2009 | 2007 | 2005 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Skills/Mission Match | 75.1 | 75.2 | 79.0 | 78.2 | 79.9 |
| Strategic Management | 47.3 | 47.6 | 51.3 | 50.5 | 53.4 |
| Teamwork | 63.3 | 70.0 | 72.7 | 69.0 | 68.7 |
| Effective Leadership | 49.3 | 47.8 | 52.8 | 50.2 | 50.9 |
| Performance Based Rewards and Advancement | 42.7 | 40.0 | 43.0 | 39.5 | 40.2 |
| Training and Development | 59.0 | 59.5 | 64.8 | 65.6 | 65.8 |
| Support for Diversity | 58.7 | 62.2 | 64.0 | 60.6 | 65.0 |
| Pay | 63.2 | 59.1 | 63.4 |  | |
| Family Friendly Culture and Benefits | 44.6 | | | | |
| Work/Life Balance | 53.9 | 52.5 | 54.6 | 58.8 | 60.6 |
| Scores by Demographic | 2010 | 2009 | 2007 | 2005 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 58.7 | 52.4 | | | |
| Male | 56.8 | | | | |
| 40 and over | 56.8 | 54.2 | | | |
| Under 40 | 60.9 | 52.6 | | | |
| Asian | | 49.1 | | | |
| Black or African-American | 63.0 | 51.8 | | | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 53.4 | 52.1 | | | |
| Multi-racial | | 53.9 | | | |
| White | 57.8 | 50.8 | | | |
| American Indian or Native American | 64.8 | 67.2 | | | |
Staff/Manager Alignment
Score: 14
More Aligned / Less Satisfied: Agencies in this group have Best Places Index scores that fall short of government-wide norms, but greater-than-normal alignment between managers and staff on key workforce issues. Despite weaker Best Places index scores, managers who recognize staff concerns may be more apt to support agency changes and drive related improvements.
Trends
| Year | Department of Agriculture Index Score | Subcomponent High Performing Average | Subcomponent Average Index Score | Subcomponent Low Performing Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 60.6 | 69.3 | 61.0 | 51.9 |
| 2005 | 57.9 | 73.0 | 62.9 | 52.3 |
| 2007 | 59.9 | 73.8 | 61.9 | 49.0 |
| 2009 | 53.3 | 74.8 | 64.0 | 54.0 |
| 2010 | 56.3 | 76.7 | 65.6 | 54.4 |
| 2011 | 58.1 | 75.1 | 63.7 | 51.4 |
Comparative Data — Subcomponent Averages
| High Performing Average Scores | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Performing Average - Employee Skills | 82.4 | 82.3 | 83.3 | 83.4 | 82.9 | 82.7 |
| High Performing Average - Management | 65.7 | 64.6 | 65.9 | 66.9 | 66.8 | 66.1 |
| High Performing Average - Teamwork | 73.7 | 77.2 | 78.7 | 79.1 | 74.9 | 74.5 |
| High Performing Average - Leadership | 64.6 | 69.5 | 70.7 | 71.3 | 66.5 | 65.9 |
| High Performing Average - Rewards and Advancement | 53.2 | 55.8 | 56.7 | 58.1 | 59.1 | 58.0 |
| High Performing Average - Training and Development | 67.7 | 70.5 | 71.3 | 72.0 | 72.8 | 71.4 |
| High Performing Average - Support for Diversity | 69.0 | 68.9 | 68.8 | 70.9 | 68.7 | 68.4 |
| High Performing Average - Pay | 81.9 | 83.1 | 78.5 | 73.7 | ||
| High Performing Average - Family Friendly | 55.5 | 52.6 | ||||
| High Performing Average - Work/Life Balance | 72.6 | 72.1 | 72.8 | 72.4 | 72.3 | 71.0 |
| Average Index Scores | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average for Employee Skills | 78.4 | 77.6 | 77.7 | 78.5 | 78.1 | 77.7 |
| Average for Management | 59.1 | 56.9 | 56.6 | 58.6 | 57.5 | 57.7 |
| Average for Teamwork | 67.8 | 71.1 | 70.8 | 72.1 | 66.3 | 66.4 |
| Average for Leadership | 50.2 | 53.0 | 52.9 | 54.8 | 56.6 | 56.4 |
| Average for Rewards and Advancement | 45.4 | 47.0 | 46.9 | 48.5 | 49.0 | 48.2 |
| Average for Training and Development | 58.4 | 61.0 | 59.8 | 61.8 | 61.1 | 60.4 |
| Average for Support for Diversity | 61.7 | 60.0 | 59.4 | 62.3 | 58.9 | 59.3 |
| Average for Pay | 64.6 | 64.4 | 67.9 | 62.8 | ||
| Average for Family Friendly | 41.0 | 37.5 | ||||
| Average for Work/Life Balance | 66.1 | 64.6 | 63.4 | 64.2 | 62.8 | 62.2 |
| Low Performing Average Score | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Performing Average - Employee Skills | 73.6 | 72.0 | 71.1 | 72.9 | 72.0 | 71.8 |
| Low Performing Average - Management | 52.2 | 48.8 | 47.3 | 50.2 | 49.0 | 50.2 |
| Low Performing Average - Teamwork | 61.8 | 65.1 | 63.3 | 65.5 | 58.1 | 58.8 |
| Low Performing Average - Leadership | 38.9 | 38.2 | 36.9 | 39.7 | 47.6 | 47.9 |
| Low Performing Average - Rewards and Advancement | 37.7 | 38.0 | 36.3 | 39.3 | 39.9 | 39.5 |
| Low Performing Average - Training and Development | 50.3 | 51.0 | 48.1 | 52.4 | 50.1 | 49.2 |
| Low Performing Average - Support for Diversity | 54.7 | 51.5 | 49.8 | 53.1 | 50.1 | 51.2 |
| Low Performing Average - Pay | 45.7 | 43.1 | 57.2 | 52.4 | ||
| Low Performing Average - Family Friendly | 27.8 | 23.8 | ||||
| Low Performing Average - Work/Life Balance | 59.4 | 57.0 | 54.8 | 56.0 | 53.9 | 53.5 |
Workforce Size and Trends
| Number of Employees | |
|---|---|
Number of Employees in 2001: 29,552
Number of Employees in 2002: 30,811
Number of Employees in 2003: 31,250
Number of Employees in 2004: 31,353
Number of Employees in 2005: 30,159
Number of Employees in 2006: 29,317
Number of Employees in 2007: 28,839
Number of Employees in 2008: 28,894
Number of Employees in 2009: 29,500
Employees joined (2010): 2,520
Percentage joined (2010): 8.30%
Average joined (2005-2010): 1,684
Employees left (2010): 1,926
Percentage left (2010): 6.30%
Average left (2005-2010): 2,170
Rookie ratio (percentage of workforce with less than three years of service): 14.80%
More About the Agency
Headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Other Locations: Nine regional offices across the United States
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Demographics source: FedScope, OPM
The Best Places to Work rankings — the most comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee satisfaction and commitment in the federal government — are produced by the Partnership for Public Service.
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