Mission

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, (6 U.S.C. 101 note). The Department came into existence on January 24, 2003, and is administered under the supervision and direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security.

The Department of Homeland Security leads the unified national effort to secure America. It will prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the Nation. The Department will ensure safe and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors, and promote the free-flow of commerce.

Outlays (in millions of dollars)

2024_US_Department_of_Homeland_Security_Outlay_LineGraph

 

Year Outlay Year Outlay Year Outlay
1962 566** 1991 6,654** 2020 91,965
1963 642** 1992 7,577** 2021 91,069
1964 747** 1993 9,653** 2022 80,861
1965 774** 1994 10,708** 2023 89,034
1966 705** 1995 9,376** 2024 134,215*
1967 782** 1996 9,692** 2025 90,582*
1968 973** 1997 10,533** 2026 85,847*
1969 1,055** 1998 10,617** 2027 85,265*
1970 1,089** 1999 13,321** 2028 88,581*
1971 1,011** 2000 13,159** 2029 82,599*
1972 1,340** 2001 14,980**    
1973 1,833** 2002 17,570**    
1974 1,661** 2003 31,970    
1975 2,099** 2004 26,575    
1976 2,455** 2005 38,697    
1977 2,755** 2006 69,025    
1978 3,217** 2007 39,156    
1979 3,415** 2008 40,676    
1980 4,296** 2009 51,719    
1981 3,943** 2010 44,457    
1982 3,847** 2011 45,741    
1983 4,689** 2012 47,422    
1984 5,060** 2013 57,216    
1985 5,007** 2014 43,263    
1986 5,383** 2015 42,572    
1987 5,383** 2016 45,196    
1988 6,180** 2017 50,499    
1989 5,671** 2018 68,374    
1990 7,219** 2019 56,326    
Source *estimate

**The Department of Homeland Security was established with the enactment of the Homeland Security Act in November 2002. It began operations in March 2003. It collected nearly two dozen government entities under the umbrella of a single Cabinet-level department. Outlay data prior to that represents the aggregate total outlays of those predecessor agencies and the now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Employee Counts

2024_US_Department_of_Homeland_Security_Count_LineGraph

 
Year Count Year Count Year Count
1962   1991   2020 210,860
1963   1992   2021 212,649
1964   1993   2022 214,131
1965   1994   2023 219,928
1966   1995   2024 222,539
1967   1996      
1968   1997      
1969   1998      
1970   1999      
1971   2000      
1972   2001      
1973   2002      
1974   2003 156,611    
1975   2004 162,944    
1976   2005 162,132    
1977   2006 168,635    
1978   2007 164,613    
1979   2008 176,627    
1980   2009 186,066    
1981   2010 188,983    
1982   2011 198,242    
1983   2012 198,100    
1984   2013 193,867    
1985   2014 189,341    
1986   2015 187,130    
1987   2016 191,644    
1988   2017 198,399    
1989   2018 205,121    
1990   2019 209,768    
Source