agency vs bureau

agency

noun
  • A department or other administrative unit of a government; also, the office or headquarters of, or the district administered by such unit of government. 

  • A medium through which power is exerted or an end is achieved. 

  • The capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power. 

  • An establishment engaged in doing business for another; also, the place of business or the district of such an agency. 

  • The office or function of an agent; also, the relationship between a principal and that person's agent. 

  • The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. 

bureau

noun
  • An administrative unit of government; office. 

  • An office (room where clerical or professional duties are performed). 

  • An organization or office for collecting or providing information or news. 

  • A chest of drawers for clothes. 

  • A desk, usually with a cover and compartments that are located above the level of the writing surface rather than underneath, and often used for storing papers. 

How often have the words agency and bureau occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )