Scoring Methodology

How the 100-point agency score is built — category by category, with the exact thresholds used.

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This is the same scoring framework used on the Rankings page, applied consistently across all fiscal years back to 2013. Only parent agencies are scored, to prevent double-counting subunits (e.g. FDA rolls into HHS, Army into DOD, ICE into DHS).

FOIA Agency Scoring Methodology

FOIA agency rankings use 7 categories to grade each agency's performance for the fiscal year. Data used for these rankings are directly reported from each agency and are aggregated on FOIA.gov. Agencies are classified into seven tiers based on annual requests processed, enabling appropriate peer comparisons.

Only parent agencies are scored to prevent double-counting. (For example, FDA is included in HHS, Army is included in DOD, ICE is included in DHS, etc.)

Scoring Framework (100 Points)

Click any category to view detailed scoring methodology

Category Points
Processing Time 30

What it measures: Percentage of requests processed within 20 days for both simple track and complex track requests.

Scoring approach: Split evenly between simple track (15 points max) and complex track (15 points max). Each track uses a base point system with performance-based bonus points. Agencies are ranked within their size category, and those meeting threshold percentages earn additional bonus points based on their percentile ranking among peers.

Simple Track Scoring (15 points max)

Base Points: Awarded based on percentage of simple track requests processed under 20 days.

% Processed Under 20 Days Base Points
≥90%13
85-89%11
80-84%9
75-79%7
70-74%5
65-69%3
<65%1

Bonus Points: Agencies achieving ≥80% earn bonus points (1–2 points) based on their percentile ranking within their size category, for a maximum of 15 total points.

Complex Track Scoring (15 points max)

Base Points: Awarded based on percentage of complex track requests processed under 20 days.

% Processed Under 20 Days Base Points
≥70%13
60-69%11
50-59%9
40-49%7
30-39%5
25-29%3
<25%1

Bonus Points: Agencies achieving ≥60% earn bonus points (1–2 points) based on their percentile ranking within their size category, for a maximum of 15 total points.

Note: Total score is the sum of simple track points + complex track points, with a maximum of 30 points possible. If an agency has only one track type, that track's score is doubled.

Why it matters: Processing the majority of requests within 20 days demonstrates strong operational efficiency and commitment to timely transparency. The 20-day threshold represents best-practice responsiveness in FOIA operations.
Backlog Management 30

What it measures: Three dimensions of backlog health—backlog trajectory (15 pts), absolute size (10 pts), and oldest case age (5 pts).

Component 1: Backlog Performance Index - BPI (15 points)

Formula: (Current Year Backlog − Previous Year Backlog) ÷ Requests Processed

Understanding BPI values:

  • Negative BPI (e.g., −0.25): Backlog is shrinking. Agency processed more cases than it added. This is excellent performance.
  • Zero BPI (0.00): Backlog is stable. Agency is keeping pace with incoming requests. This is good performance.
  • Positive BPI (e.g., +0.35): Backlog is growing. Agency is adding cases faster than it processes them. This indicates operational challenges.

Example: An agency with 500 requests in backlog last year, 600 this year, and 1,000 processed has BPI = (600−500)/1,000 = 0.10, meaning their backlog grew by 10% of their processing capacity.

BPI Value Points Meaning
≤0.0015Backlog shrinking or stable
0.01–0.0514Minimal growth (1–5% of capacity)
0.06–0.1212Modest growth (6–12% of capacity)
0.13–0.2010Moderate growth (13–20% of capacity)
0.21–0.308Concerning growth (21–30% of capacity)
0.31–0.456Significant growth (31–45% of capacity)
0.46–0.654Substantial growth (46–65% of capacity)
0.66–1.002Severe growth (66–100% of capacity)
>1.001Critical growth (backlog grew more than entire year's processing)
Component 2: Backlog Volume (10 points)

Method: Government-wide comparison of absolute backlog size using LOG10 transformation to ensure fair scoring across all agency sizes.

Why LOG10? This mathematical transformation ensures that a 10× increase in backlog results in the same proportional point penalty, whether an agency grows from 100 to 1,000 cases or from 10,000 to 100,000 cases. This prevents agencies with extremely large backlogs from distorting the scoring scale.

How it works: Each agency's backlog is compared to the government-wide minimum and maximum backlog for that fiscal year. Agencies with smaller backlogs (closer to the minimum) receive higher scores, while agencies with larger backlogs (closer to the maximum) receive lower scores.

Maximum: 10 points (smallest backlog in comparison group)
Minimum: 0 points (largest backlog in comparison group)

Component 3: Persistence Score (5 points)

Method: Evaluates the age of an agency's 10 oldest pending requests. Each case receives 0–10 points based on age bands, then all 10 scores are averaged and scaled to a maximum of 5 points.

Age Band Scoring (per case):

Days Pending (Business Days) Points (per case)
<300 days10
300–499 days9
500–749 days8
750–999 days7
1,000–1,499 days6
1,500–1,999 days5
2,000–2,499 days4
2,500–2,999 days3
3,000–3,499 days2
3,500–4,999 days1
≥5,000 days0

Calculation example: If the 10 oldest cases have ages that score 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (averaging to 5.5), the persistence score is 5.5 / 10 × 5 = 2.75 points.

Why it matters: Effective backlog management prevents multi-year delays and demonstrates sustainable operations. The BPI shows trajectory, volume shows current burden, and persistence reveals whether the oldest cases are being forgotten or actively resolved.
Cost Efficiency 15

What it measures: Total costs per request (10 pts) and litigation expenses per request (5 pts), evaluated using government-wide thresholds.

Component 1: Cost Per Request (10 points)

Formula: Total Cost ÷ Requests Processed

Includes all FOIA program costs (personnel, technology, operations) divided by the number of requests processed during the fiscal year.

Cost Per Request Points
≤$25010
$251–7509
$751–1,5008
$1,501–2,5006
$2,501–4,0004
$4,001–6,0002
$6,001–8,0001
>$8,0000
Component 2: Litigation Cost Per Request (5 points)

Formula: Litigation Costs ÷ Requests Received

Litigation-related expenses divided by the total number of requests received during the fiscal year.

Litigation Cost Per Request Points
$05
$1–104
$11–503
$51–1002
$101–2501
>$2500

Why it matters: Efficient resource use maximizes transparency while respecting taxpayer dollars. Low litigation costs indicate well-justified decisions that withstand legal challenge.
Appeals Performance 10

What it measures: Appeal rate (8 pts) and total backlogged appeals (2 pts).

Component 1: Appeal Rate (8 points)

Definition: Appeal rate is the percentage of incoming FOIA requests that result in an administrative appeal.

Formula: (Appeals Received ÷ Requests Received) × 100

Appeal Rate Points
≤0.50%8
0.51–1.00%7
1.01–1.50%6
1.51–2.50%5
2.51–3.00%4
3.01–4.50%3
4.51–6.50%2
6.51–10.00%1
>10%0
Component 2: Appeals Backlog (2 points)

Method: Government-wide comparison using LOG10 transformation to ensure fair scoring across all agency sizes. This transformation treats a 10× increase in backlog (e.g., 10→100 or 1,000→10,000) as equivalent, preventing extreme outliers from distorting the scale.

Agencies with smaller appeals backlogs receive higher scores (up to 2 points), while those with larger backlogs receive lower scores (down to 0 points).

Why it matters: Low appeal rates signal accurate initial decisions that requesters accept without challenge, reducing downstream litigation and administrative burden. Small appeals backlogs demonstrate efficient processing and prevent delays from compounding.
Fee Collection 5

What it measures: Effectiveness in recovering program costs through fee collection, evaluated within size categories.

Scoring approach: Agencies are ranked by fee recovery percentage (fees collected ÷ total costs). Only the top 5 agencies in each size category earn points:

Rank Within Category Points
1st place5
2nd place4
3rd place3
4th place2
5th place1
6th+ place0

Eligibility: Agencies must collect fees >$0 to qualify for ranking.

Why it matters: Appropriate fee collection balances public access with cost recovery, ensuring FOIA programs operate sustainably.
Staff Efficiency 5

What it measures: Staff efficiency based on requests processed per total full-time staff member, evaluated within size categories.

Scoring approach: Agencies are ranked by efficiency rate (requests processed ÷ total full-time staff). Only the top 5 agencies in each size category earn points:

Rank Within Category Points
1st place5
2nd place4
3rd place3
4th place2
5th place1
6th+ place0

Staff calculation: Total full-time staff includes both full-time employees and employees who handle FOIA on a part-time basis.

Why it matters: High staff efficiency can indicate effective workforce deployment and process optimization.
Data Quality 5

What it measures: Accuracy and completeness of reported FOIA data through track type validation.

Validation method: Compares the number of requests processed by track type (simple + complex + expedited) to the reported total number of requests processed. The formula for this score is (simple + complex + expedited) ÷ Total Requests Processed.

Validation Accuracy Points
100%5
≥99.9%4
99.5–99.8%3
98–99.4%2
95–97.9%1
<95%0

Why it matters: A perfect 100% score indicates no missing or miscategorized cases. Lower percentages could indicate inaccurate reporting. Accurate data enables informed policy decisions and maintains public trust in transparency metrics.
Total 100