This Federal Department Just Ranked No. 1 With Americans

Virginia Grace McKinnon

•   October 29, 2026

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A new report found that the State Department, under Secretary Marco Rubio, is the most highly rated agency by American citizens who interact with the federal government for services.

While satisfaction with federal government services fell for the first time in five years, satisfaction with the State Department increased, thanks to its new online passport renewal program.

“Under Secretary Rubio’s leadership, the State Department has worked diligently to become more efficient, more effective, and more responsive to the needs of the American people,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told the Daily Signal.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2026 Federal Government Study, the State Department topped the federal departments and independent agencies during fiscal year 2026. The nearly 8,000 surveys were used to rank departments on a scale of 0-100.

“The Department of State leads all departments at 77, up 3%, on the strength of the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ online passport renewal system,” the report reads.

“These findings demonstrate the success of the Department reorganization and are a testament to the hard work of the professionals at the State Department,” Pigott continued.

The increased satisfaction score is directly tied to the department moving passport renewals online, making the process faster and easier for citizens. The report states that the program’s four-year development cut the process from approximately 40 minutes on paper to 10 minutes online.

Now, more than half of all passport renewals are completed digitally. Photo upload errors were also reduced by nearly 50%, eliminating one of the most common difficulties for applicants.

The report notes that the federal government underwent significant changes during the time of the study due to the Department of Government Efficiency’s reduction of the federal workforce by approximately 385,000 employees. By pivoting with the DOGE efforts and moving passport renewals online, the department increased its efficiency and satisfaction.

“The Department of State’s online passport renewal program demonstrates that strong citizen experiences remain achievable even during institutional transition,” the report continues.

The report ranked satisfaction with the federal government at 68.6 out of 100, a decline of 2.6%. It was the first decrease in five years.

Virginia Grace McKinnon
Virginia Grace McKinnon | Journalism Fellow
Virginia Grace McKinnon is a journalism fellow for the Daily Signal.

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