Citizen satisfaction with U.S. federal government services improves 1.0% to reach a 19-year high score of 70.4 (on a scale of 0 to 100), according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) Federal Government Study 2025.

The success, measured in 2025 through the federal fiscal year ending in September and before the government shutdown, marks the fourth straight year of rising citizen satisfaction and reflects the dedication of federal employees and the growing adoption of innovative technologies to improve services.

“These results, recorded before the government shutdown, reflect real momentum in improving how citizens experience federal services,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “The early introduction of artificial intelligence is already making a difference, from simplifying passport renewals to expediting benefits processing and enabling faster, more effective support. While these advancements are just beginning, they signal a future where government services can be more responsive and accessible to all.”

While it’s too soon to know the impact of the shutdown on citizen satisfaction, a new survey conducted by ACSI indicates that Americans were more concerned about practical, immediate consequences, like access to benefits and economic stability, than the political battles that caused it.

Department of Agriculture leads reported departments/agencies in satisfaction

Among the 15 reported departments/independent agencies, the Department of Agriculture leads the way after improving 5% to an ACSI score of 77. The Farm Service Agency stands out within this department with a sensational score of 83.

The Department of State finishes second following a 6% jump to 75. This score represents ratings of citizens interfacing with the Bureau of Consular Affairs to apply for U.S. passports or access international travel information. In September 2024, Passport Services launched a full digital renewal-from-home system that was adopted by more than 1.5 million citizens in 2025. This new system has dramatically shortened processing time from six-to-nine weeks to four-to-six weeks for regular renewals and from three-to-five weeks to two-to-three weeks for expedited renewals.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) finishes third with an ACSI score of 74. Among the technology solutions fueling this above-average performance is SBA’s One Platform Expansion, which was designed to modernize and streamline the loan origination and service process for SBA loans. The Department of Homeland Security is next at 73, followed by the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense with scores of 72 apiece. Four agencies tie at 71: the Department of Commerce, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Office of Personnel Management, which experiences a 7% ACSI decline after having the highest satisfaction score in 2024.

Although the Department of the Treasury continues to sit in last place in citizen satisfaction, it jumps 3% to an ACSI score of 63. As the agency expands its use of technology to make the taxpayer experience smoother, overall satisfaction should remain modest compared to other agencies due to the intrinsic challenges of its tax collection role.

Call center satisfaction improves, but citizens still prefer websites

The choice between interacting with federal government call centers and websites hasn’t changed – but it’s getting closer.

Thanks to technology advancements including callback systems, AI-powered virtual agents, and voicebots, the federal government call center satisfaction index improves 5% to 65. Still, website satisfaction remains stronger with a stable score of 72.

Meanwhile, the federal government has made significant progress when it comes to handling rising complaints. Despite complaints filed increasing from 15.3% in 2021 to 26.8% in 2025, citizens now rate their complaint handling experience 19 points higher in 2025 compared to 2021 (70 versus 51).

The ACSI Federal Government Study 2025 is based on 6,914 completed surveys. Respondents were chosen at random and contacted via email throughout the federal fiscal year ending in September 2025, prior to the federal government shutdown. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and X at @theACSI.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) is a national economic indicator and a leading provider of customer analytics products that help organizations build lasting customer relationships and prove ROI on experience investments. ACSI’s AI-enhanced platform delivers intuitive dashboards and cause-and-effect analytics that pinpoint the quality drivers most predictive of customer allegiance, retention, price tolerance, and financial performance. ACSI data has been shown to correlate strongly with key micro and macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending, GDP growth, earnings, and stock returns.

Founded in 1994 at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries, including federal government services, based on approximately 200,000 annual interviews. Learn more at https://www.theacsi.org.

ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118988166/en/

These results, recorded before the government shutdown, reflect real momentum in improving how citizens experience federal services.