USAJOBS API vs The Muse API for AI agents
USAJOBS API is the official REST API for searching public U.S. federal government job announcements on USAJOBS. The Muse API is a public JSON API for job and company listings posted on The Muse.
The short answer
- USAJOBS API: Authoritative, reusable data on U.S. federal government job openings.
- The Muse API: A free, no-key way to pull The Muse's curated job listings with company context.
Side by side
| USAJOBS API | The Muse API | |
|---|---|---|
| Searches | Public job announcements posted on USAJOBS (status/internal jobs need extra steps); a single employer-side source, not an aggregator. | Jobs listed on The Muse, filterable by company, category, level and location (including flexible/remote). |
| Returns | JSON SearchResult items with PositionTitle, PositionURI, ApplyURI, OrganizationName, PositionLocation (with lat/long) and PositionRemuneration. | JSON pages of 20 results; each job has name, contents (description), publication_date, locations, levels, categories, company and refs.landing_page. |
| Before the first call | An API key requested through an application form (name, email, phone, organization, intended use); calls send Host, User-Agent (your email) and Authorization-Key headers. | Nothing for testing; an api_key from registration is required for any use beyond testing. |
| Free | Not stated on its pages | 500 requests per hour without a key; 3,600 per hour with a registered key. No price is stated. |
| Acting on a result | PositionURI/ApplyURI point to the announcement on usajobs.gov. | refs.landing_page points to the job page on themuse.com. |
| Limits on keeping or showing results | Public Data may be copied, stored, republished and used commercially; attribution to USAJOBS is encouraged, not required; don't present modified data as official. Max 10,000 rows per query, 500 per page. | Content shown via the API must link back to The Muse; on termination you must destroy stored Muse Content (terms last modified 7/25/2015). |
| Coverage | United States federal government jobs (in the U.S. and abroad). | The location filter lists cities worldwide; no stated country coverage. |
| MCP server | No official server listed | No official server listed |
Where Openpath fits
If the agent needs a job to apply for in Austin, Texas, or a remote one, Openpath returns the listings themselves, free and with no key. See Openpath vs USAJOBS API and Openpath vs The Muse API.
Questions people ask
What do I need before I can use USAJOBS API?
An API key requested through an application form (name, email, phone, organization, intended use); calls send Host, User-Agent (your email) and Authorization-Key headers.
Is USAJOBS API free?
Its pages listed no free use when we read them on October 15, 2026.
What do I need before I can use The Muse API?
Nothing for testing; an api_key from registration is required for any use beyond testing.
Is The Muse API free?
500 requests per hour without a key; 3,600 per hour with a registered key. No price is stated.
Sources
Every line about another company comes from its own pages. Prices and terms change, so check the source before you rely on one.
USAJOBS API, read on October 15, 2026:
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/authentication: “To request an API Key, please go the the API Request page and fill out an application.”
- developer.usajobs.gov/apirequest: “Only public job information is available through this site.”
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/rate-limiting: “Maximum of 10,000 rows per query”
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/terms-of-service: “Public Data may be copied, stored, reformatted, adapted, analyzed, published, redistributed, and used for lawful commercial”
- developer.usajobs.gov/guides/terms-of-service: “OPM encourages users to identify USAJOBS as the source, link to the current official job announcement”
- developer.usajobs.gov/api-reference/get-api-search: “URI to apply for the job offering.”
- usajobs.gov/HiringPath/Public: “the official employment site for the federal government”
The Muse API, read on October 15, 2026:
- themuse.com/developers/api/v2: “Registration is required for any use beyond testing.”
- themuse.com/developers/api/v2: “you're limited to 500 requests per hour”
- themuse.com/developers/api/v2: “This will allow you to make up to 3600 requests per hour.”
- themuse.com/api/public/jobs: “https://www.themuse.com/jobs/dmcsinaigracehospital/registered-nurse-registered-nurse-medsurg-telemetry-full-time-nights-6ec354”
- themuse.com/developers/api/v2/terms: “any Muse Content provided through the Apps by utilizing the Muse API will link back to The Muse Website”