United States Department of Commerce

United States Department of Commerce

Seal of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Flag of the U.S. Department of Commerce
The Herbert C. Hoover Building, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Commerce
Agency overview
Formed	February 14, 1903; 121 years ago (1903-02-14)
Preceding agency	United States Department of Commerce and Labor
Jurisdiction	U.S. federal government
Headquarters	Herbert C. Hoover Building 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., U.S. 38°53′39″N 77°0′58″W / 38.89417°N 77.01611°W / 38.89417; -77.01611
Employees	48,391 (2024)[1]
Agency executives	Gina Raimondo, Secretary Don Graves, Deputy Secretary
Website	commerce.gov
Footnotes

The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing economic development, promoting foreign direct investment, and safeguarding national economic security.

The Department of Commerce is one of four federal agencies authorized to appoint personnel in the United States Foreign Service, and its NOAA Corps — formerly the Coast and Geodetic Survey Corps — is one of the eight branches of the uniformed services of the United States. During a large-scale disaster or catastrophe, it assumes the coordinating responsibilities for the economic recovery support function under the national disaster recovery framework. Since 2023 it has lead U.S. government activities related to safe Artificial Intelligence development and, from 1913 to 1939, it managed the National Aquarium.

The department is headed by the Secretary of Commerce, who is a member of the President's Cabinet and tenth in the United States presidential line of succession. It is headquartered in the Herbert C. Hoover Building in Washington, D.C.