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Department of Commerce
Most recent quarterly backlog
2,254
End of FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026)
Latest annual report
1,885
End of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
17-year change
+636%
FY2008 → FY2024 (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024)
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2024
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2024). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
FY08: 256
FY10: 267
FY12: 340
FY14: 486
FY16: 454
FY18: 922
FY20: 1,173
FY22: 1,128
FY24: 1,885
Dashed verticals mark presidential inaugurations.
Recent quarterly activity
Last 21 quarters of received, processed, and backlog. Most recent: FY2026 Q2 (Jan 1 – Mar 31, 2026).
Backlog
2,254
Received per quarter
607
Processed per quarter
666
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2024 (Sept 30, 2024)
Days pending counts forward from the day the request was received. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2012-08-22 | 3,035 | 8.3 |
| #2 | 2015-02-10 | 2,418 | 6.6 |
| #3 | 2017-04-27 | 1,862 | 5.1 |
| #4 | 2017-07-06 | 1,814 | 5.0 |
| #5 | 2017-07-11 | 1,811 | 5.0 |
| #6 | 2017-08-18 | 1,783 | 4.9 |
| #7 | 2017-08-21 | 1,782 | 4.9 |
| #8 | 2017-08-21 | 1,782 | 4.9 |
| #9 | 2017-08-28 | 1,777 | 4.9 |
| #10 | 2017-09-15 | 1,764 | 4.8 |
Exemption invocations, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
How often each FOIA exemption (b1–b9) was invoked when redacting or denying records. Exemption 5 (deliberative process, attorney-client) is highlighted — it’s the most-fought exemption in FOIA litigation.
FOIA staffing, FY2024 (Oct 1, 2023 – Sept 30, 2024)
Full-time employees
43
Equivalent FTE
46.1
Total FTE
89.2
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 4,048 | 3,410 | 1,885 |
| FY2023 | 2,241 | 2,093 | 1,281 |
| FY2022 | 1,768 | 1,774 | 1,128 |
| FY2021 | 2,274 | 2,195 | 1,248 |
| FY2020 | 2,017 | 2,108 | 1,173 |
| FY2019 | 2,391 | 2,017 | 1,264 |
| FY2018 | 2,269 | 1,976 | 922 |
| FY2017 | 2,209 | 2,106 | 573 |
| FY2016 | 2,026 | 2,148 | 454 |
| FY2015 | 2,230 | 2,163 | 557 |
| FY2014 | 1,896 | 1,776 | 486 |
| FY2013 | 1,823 | 1,793 | 358 |
| FY2012 | 1,807 | 1,701 | 340 |
| FY2011 | 2,202 | 2,209 | 296 |
| FY2010 | 2,113 | 2,021 | 267 |
| FY2009 | 2,091 | 2,092 | 253 |
| FY2008 | 1,936 | 1,885 | 256 |
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