Data Report
Federal Spending
$5.31 trillion in federal obligations for FY2025 (through March 2025), up from $4.95 trillion in FY2024. Health and Human Services leads all agencies. North Dakota has the highest per-capita spending at $53,713.
FY2024 Total
$4.95T
Oct 2023 - Sep 2024
FY2025 Total
$5.31T
Oct 2024 - Mar 2025 (partial)
States & Territories
56
50 states + DC + 5 territories
Top State (Total)
CA
$206.9B in obligations
Why This Matters
The federal government spent $4.95 trillion in FY2024 and is on pace to exceed that in FY2025. This data reveals which states receive the most per capita, which agencies drive spending, and how federal dollars flow through contracts, grants, and direct payments. For government contractors, grant seekers, and anyone affected by fiscal policy, this is where the money goes.
Award Type Breakdown (FY2025)
Direct payments (Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits) dominate at $3.25T, accounting for 61.2% of all federal obligations. Grants total $1.24T, contracts $778.6B.
Direct Payments
$3.25T
3,401,163 awards
Grants
$1.24T
478,979 awards
Contracts
$778.6B
5,742,904 awards
Other Financial Assistance
$26.3B
305,635 awards
IDVs
$14.7B
114,586 awards
Loans
$663.6M
1,142,715 awards
FY2024 vs FY2025: Direct payments grew from $2.94T to $3.25T (+10.5%). Contracts grew from $740.8B to $778.6B (+5.1%). Loan subsidy amounts can appear negative due to federal credit accounting methods.
Top Agencies by Budget Authority (FY2025)
HHS leads at $1.37T (27% of the $5.06T total budget authority), followed by Treasury ($979.5B) and Social Security Administration ($860.0B). FY2025 is partial (through March 2025).
State Rankings (All 56 Jurisdictions)
Click any column header to sort. California leads in total spending ($206.9B) but North Dakota leads per capita at $53,713, likely driven by large agriculture and energy programs relative to its small population of 783,926. Utah has the lowest per-capita spending at $3,524.
| # | State | Total Spending | Per Capita | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | $206.9B | $5,310 | 191,472 |
| 2 | Florida (FL) | $137.0B | $6,059 | 118,692 |
| 3 | Texas (TX) | $135.8B | $4,451 | 182,409 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $123.0B | $9,493 | 165,699 |
| 5 | New York (NY) | $111.7B | $5,709 | 126,689 |
| 6 | Minnesota (MN) | $111.2B | $19,387 | 45,660 |
| 7 | Indiana (IN) | $93.4B | $13,613 | 32,408 |
| 8 | Kentucky (KY) | $86.3B | $19,072 | 57,063 |
| 9 | Virginia (VA) | $75.5B | $8,695 | 152,089 |
| 10 | South Carolina (SC) | $59.7B | $11,109 | 37,706 |
| 11 | Connecticut (CT) | $57.7B | $15,939 | 24,990 |
| 12 | Illinois (IL) | $57.2B | $4,557 | 186,370 |
| 13 | Ohio (OH) | $55.9B | $4,747 | 70,947 |
| 14 | Michigan (MI) | $55.5B | $5,532 | 148,030 |
| 15 | Tennessee (TN) | $55.2B | $7,744 | 50,083 |
| 16 | Wisconsin (WI) | $51.5B | $8,716 | 51,509 |
| 17 | Arizona (AZ) | $51.1B | $6,875 | 20,590 |
| 18 | Washington (WA) | $51.0B | $6,526 | 50,116 |
| 19 | North Carolina (NC) | $53.4B | $4,926 | 94,663 |
| 20 | Georgia (GA) | $42.4B | $3,845 | 77,581 |
| 21 | North Dakota (ND) | $42.1B | $53,713 | 16,030 |
| 22 | Massachusetts (MA) | $41.5B | $5,925 | 46,725 |
| 23 | Missouri (MO) | $40.8B | $6,585 | 102,951 |
| 24 | New Jersey (NJ) | $40.5B | $4,359 | 133,168 |
| 25 | Louisiana (LA) | $33.9B | $7,420 | 28,286 |
| 26 | Maryland (MD) | $32.9B | $5,327 | 44,917 |
| 27 | Alabama (AL) | $27.3B | $5,351 | 60,542 |
| 28 | Colorado (CO) | $26.6B | $4,534 | 27,940 |
| 29 | Oregon (OR) | $25.9B | $6,115 | 14,617 |
| 30 | New Mexico (NM) | $23.1B | $10,928 | 14,866 |
| 31 | Oklahoma (OK) | $21.5B | $5,296 | 56,793 |
| 32 | Puerto Rico (PR) | $18.7B | $5,822 | 12,947 |
| 33 | District of Columbia (DC) | $18.0B | $26,507 | 18,558 |
| 34 | Nevada (NV) | $15.7B | $4,923 | 22,041 |
| 35 | Arkansas (AR) | $14.7B | $4,796 | 36,525 |
| 36 | Mississippi (MS) | $14.1B | $4,783 | 52,526 |
| 37 | Iowa (IA) | $14.1B | $4,382 | 49,307 |
| 38 | Nebraska (NE) | $13.3B | $6,742 | 44,649 |
| 39 | Kansas (KS) | $12.4B | $4,210 | 59,716 |
| 40 | Utah (UT) | $12.0B | $3,524 | 13,313 |
| 41 | West Virginia (WV) | $10.7B | $6,046 | 18,721 |
| 42 | Idaho (ID) | $9.0B | $4,585 | 14,404 |
| 43 | Maine (ME) | $8.4B | $6,021 | 8,383 |
| 44 | Hawaii (HI) | $7.2B | $5,024 | 12,610 |
| 45 | New Hampshire (NH) | $6.6B | $4,704 | 5,015 |
| 46 | Rhode Island (RI) | $6.6B | $6,012 | 5,174 |
| 47 | Alaska (AK) | $6.5B | $8,803 | 8,296 |
| 48 | Montana (MT) | $5.7B | $5,031 | 19,834 |
| 49 | Delaware (DE) | $5.3B | $5,132 | 3,454 |
| 50 | South Dakota (SD) | $4.6B | $5,032 | 23,882 |
| 51 | Vermont (VT) | $3.7B | $5,641 | 6,020 |
| 52 | Wyoming (WY) | $2.7B | $4,692 | 9,308 |
| 53 | Guam (GU) | $843.4M | $5,482 | 2,217 |
| 54 | U.S. Virgin Islands (VI) | $505.1M | $5,796 | 583 |
| 55 | American Samoa (AS) | $247.0M | $5,627 | 314 |
| 56 | Northern Mariana Islands (MP) | $224.4M | $4,741 | 390 |
Top CFDA Programs (FY2025)
Social Security Retirement Insurance is the single largest federal program at $1.30T. Medicaid grants to states ($666.1B) and Medicare programs round out the top four.
Full CFDA program rankings with 25 programs in the report
Budget Function Categories (FY2025)
Medicare ($859.6B) and Social Security ($823.9B) are the two largest budget functions, together representing a third of all federal spending. National Defense is third at $760.8B.
Small Business Contract Share
The federal government has a 23% small business contracting goal. In FY2024, small businesses received 24.2% of federal contract dollars ($179.3B of $740.8B). In FY2025 so far, that share has slipped to 22.6% ($175.7B of $778.6B).
FY2024 (Complete)
24.2%
$179.3B of $740.8B
FY2025 (Partial)
22.6%
$175.7B of $778.6B
Per-Capita Spending: Highest and Lowest
North Dakota receives $53,713 per person in federal spending, 15x higher than Utah ($3,524). Farm subsidies, energy programs, and tribal funding drive disproportionate per-capita totals in rural states.
Highest Per Capita
Lowest Per Capita
Full per-capita analysis with all 56 jurisdictions in the report
FY2025 is on pace to exceed FY2024 by 7.4%
Through the first half of FY2025 (October 2024 through March 2025), total obligations have already reached $5.31T compared to $4.95T for all of FY2024. Direct payments are growing fastest at 10.5% year-over-year. Defense spending is up 9.8%. The full report includes detailed agency-by-agency YoY comparisons and projections for the full fiscal year.
The Bottom Line
Federal spending is not about geography, it is about demographics. States with older populations (Social Security, Medicare) and military bases receive the most per capita. North Dakota leads at $53K per person, not because of pork barrel spending but because of agricultural subsidies and a small population denominator.
The declining small business contract share (24.2% to 22.6%) suggests large contractors are consolidating their advantage in federal procurement. For anyone trying to understand where federal dollars actually go, the answer is simpler than the political debate implies: most of it is direct payments to individuals, not discretionary programs that Congress fights over every year.
Get the Complete Federal Spending Report
All 56 jurisdictions, 25 CFDA programs, per-capita deep dives, FY2024 vs FY2025 comparisons, agency award breakdowns, and Michigan spotlight. Free PDF.
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Source: USASpending.gov (api.usaspending.gov). FY2024 covers Oct 1, 2023 through Sep 30, 2024 (complete). FY2025 covers Oct 1, 2024 through Mar 31, 2025 (partial). Dollar amounts are in current (nominal) dollars. Per-capita calculations use U.S. Census Bureau 2023 population estimates. Processed by Palavir LLC. This report is informational and does not constitute financial advice.