Department of Commerce
Annual backlog, FY2008–FY2025
Pending requests at end of each fiscal year (Oct 1, 2007 – Sept 30, 2025). Federal fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sept 30, named for the year it ends.
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).
10 oldest pending requests, end of FY2025 (Sept 30, 2025)
Agencies report days pending in working days, counted from the day the request was received; the years column converts to calendar years. The longer this list runs, the more litigation-ripe the agency’s backlog.
| Rank | Date received | Working days pending | Years pending |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 2012-08-22 | 3,285 | 13.1 |
| #2 | 2015-02-10 | 2,668 | 10.6 |
| #3 | 2017-04-27 | 2,112 | 8.4 |
| #4 | 2017-07-06 | 2,064 | 8.2 |
| #5 | 2017-07-11 | 2,061 | 8.2 |
| #6 | 2017-08-18 | 2,033 | 8.1 |
| #7 | 2017-08-21 | 2,032 | 8.1 |
| #8 | 2017-08-21 | 2,032 | 8.1 |
| #9 | 2017-08-28 | 2,027 | 8.1 |
| #10 | 2017-09-15 | 2,014 | 8.0 |
Exemption invocations, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
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, FY2025 (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)
Annual report history
| FY | Received | Processed | Pending end |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | 5,368 | 4,987 | 2,162 |
| 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 |
Every dataset behind this page is available as CSV. Filter by agency name in your spreadsheet of choice.