In December 2012, the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) was named one of the federal government's Best Places to Work by the not-for-profit Partnership for Public Service (PPS). The partnership ranked the USPTO number five out of 292 federal agency subcomponents based on a survey of more than 700,000 civil servants conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The USPTO has climbed the rankings in recent years, from 105th in 2009, to 56th in 2010, to 19th in 2011—an achievement that speaks volumes about the dedication to excellence of every employee in the agency.