The 10 best places to work in federal government

The Partnership for Public Service released the 2011 version of its annual “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings on Nov. 16. Here are the 10 large agencies that employees rank at the top.

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No. 10: General Services Administration

Squeezing into the top 10 is the GSA, which manages the construction and upkeep of government property. Here, Kevin Pope of the GSA talks about landing government contracts at a conference in Washington.

Jeffrey MacMillan / For The Washington Post

No. 9: Office of Personnel Management

John Berry, shown here at the third annual Feds Feed Families food drive kickoff, is director of OPM, which is in charge of hiring and benefits for the federal government's nearly 2 million civilian employees.

Astrid Riecken / For The Washington Post

No. 8: The intelligence community

The No. 8 spot this year goes to the U.S. intelligence community, which includes the CIA, whose long line of directors is seen here in a hallway of the agency's headquarters.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

No. 7: Department of State

The Department of State once again sits high in the rankings. Since 2009, Hillary Rodham Clinton, center, has served as secretary of state.

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

No. 6: Social Security Administration

Bob Williams, left, associate commissioner for employment at the Social Security Administration, shares a laugh with board member Robyn King at the 10th anniversary celebration of Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities in Washington.

Rebecca D'Angelo / For The Washington Post

No. 5: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA may have ended its iconic space shuttle program this year, but employee satisfaction is still high at the agency. Here, NASA astronaut Ron Garan, left, and Russian cosmonauts are pictured inside the Russian Soyuz TMA-21 space capsule, which brough them to Earth this September after they spent five months at the international space station.

Sergei Remezov / AP

No. 4: Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution comprises 19 museums and nine research centers, and collectively they take one of the top slots in the 2011 survey. Here, Matthew T. Carrano, curator of Dinosauria at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, poses near a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex.

PAUL J. RICHARDS / AFP/Getty Images

No. 3: Government Accountability Office

No, the GAO doesn't patrol U.S. borders per se, but Congress's investigative arm does issue reports on the subject -- such as one this year highlighting the insufficient number of border agents to deter high-risk illegal activity along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border.

Mark Ralston / AFP/Getty Images

No. 2: Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission ranks close to the top this year. The commission monitors nuclear power plants around the country, such as this one near Brownville, Neb., which Chairman Gregory Jaczko visited in June.

Josh Funk / AP

No. 1: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Under Sheila C. Bair's leadership, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. jumped to the top spot this year, having increased its employee satisfaction score by more than 30 points on the 100-point scale since 2005. Bair, pictured here with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, stepped down this summer from her role as chairman.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

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