Federal Government Spending, Made Plain
$5.23T in FY2025 federal spending, tracked county-by-county and agency-by-agency.
PlainSpending tracks $5.23T in FY2025 federal spending across all 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories - broken down by 3,232 counties and 111 federal agencies, with per-capita comparisons and DOGE contract and grant cancellation tracking. Every figure is sourced directly from USASpending.gov and the DOGE savings API, refreshed with each dataset update.
The dataset at a glance
- Total spending
- $5.23T
- Avg per capita
- $15,622
- States & territories
- 56
- Federal agencies
- 111
The big picture
According to USASpending.gov, the official federal award-transaction dataset, $5.23T in federal awards reached every state, 3,232 counties, and 111 agencies in FY2025. The top state recipient (California) received 3.2x what the 10th-largest state took in -- federal spending concentrates sharply at the top. The Department of Health and Human Services alone accounts for 38.5% of all tracked spending, and federal spending averages $15,622 per resident nationwide, though per-capita totals vary widely by state.
- Total federal spending
- $5.23T
- FY2025
- Largest agency
- HHS
- 38.5% of total
- Largest state recipient
- California
- $485.6B
- Avg per resident
- $15,622
- nationwide, weighted
Where the federal budget actually goes
FY2025 outlay shares by major OMB function code. Mandatory entitlement programs and net interest dominate the structural baseline; discretionary appropriations are a smaller slice than the public debate often suggests.
FY2025 Federal Outlay Shares by OMB Function
Federal outlays trend, FY2020–FY2025 ($ trillions)
This is a different figure than the $5.23T tracked above: outlays (this chart) are OMB's official total of ALL federal cash disbursements, including direct payments like Social Security and interest on the debt. Tracked spending (the rest of this site) covers USASpending.gov's award-based data, contracts, grants, loans, and direct payments processed through the federal award system, a real but narrower slice. Both are accurate; they measure different things. See our methodology for the full breakdown.
Top States by Federal Spending
View all| # | State | Total Spending | Per Capita | Contract Awards | Grant Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California (CA) | $485.6B | $12,283 | 305,368 | 39,718 |
| 2 | Florida (FL) | $325.1B | $15,092 | 220,048 | 18,267 |
| 3 | Texas (TX) | $311.4B | $10,686 | 255,887 | 24,297 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania (PA) | $281.6B | $21,653 | 681,601 | 18,518 |
| 5 | New York (NY) | $262.2B | $12,978 | 303,635 | 25,281 |
| 6 | Minnesota (MN) | $242.1B | $42,425 | 44,456 | 9,241 |
| 7 | Virginia (VA) | $214.1B | $24,807 | 501,390 | 10,721 |
| 8 | Indiana (IN) | $207.1B | $30,517 | 28,784 | 11,315 |
| 9 | Kentucky (KY) | $173.3B | $38,460 | 65,007 | 6,628 |
| 10 | Connecticut (CT) | $153.6B | $42,600 | 44,227 | 8,420 |
Total spending is mostly a population story, per-capita spending isn't
The states that receive the most federal dollars overall are usually just the states with the most people. Divide by population and the picture flips: some of the smallest-population states carry the highest spending PER RESIDENT, while the biggest total recipients often sit below the national per-capita average.
Population vs. per-capita federal spending
Read the chart as a table
| State | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 39,538,223 | $12,283 | $485.6B |
| Florida | 21,538,187 | $15,092 | $325.1B |
| Texas | 29,145,505 | $10,686 | $311.4B |
| Pennsylvania | 13,002,700 | $21,653 | $281.6B |
| New York | 20,201,249 | $12,978 | $262.2B |
| Minnesota | 5,706,494 | $42,425 | $242.1B |
| Virginia | 8,631,393 | $24,807 | $214.1B |
| Indiana | 6,785,528 | $30,517 | $207.1B |
| Kentucky | 4,505,836 | $38,460 | $173.3B |
| Connecticut | 3,605,944 | $42,600 | $153.6B |
| South Carolina | 5,118,425 | $26,788 | $137.1B |
| Illinois | 12,812,508 | $10,503 | $134.6B |
| North Carolina | 10,439,388 | $12,400 | $129.4B |
| Ohio | 11,799,448 | $10,938 | $129.1B |
| Michigan | 10,077,331 | $12,538 | $126.3B |
| Tennessee | 6,910,840 | $17,561 | $121.4B |
| Wisconsin | 5,893,718 | $19,169 | $113.0B |
| Arizona | 7,151,502 | $15,678 | $112.1B |
| Georgia | 10,711,908 | $9,878 | $105.8B |
| Maryland | 6,177,224 | $17,102 | $105.6B |
| Massachusetts | 7,029,917 | $14,689 | $103.3B |
| North Dakota | 779,094 | $126,315 | $98.4B |
| New Jersey | 9,288,994 | $10,394 | $96.5B |
| Missouri | 6,154,913 | $15,232 | $93.8B |
| Washington | 7,705,281 | $11,619 | $89.5B |
Top Federal Agencies by Budget
View all$110.2B in DOGE-Reported Cuts
DOGE reports terminating 29,327 federal contracts and grants - 13,440 contracts ($61.0B) and 15,887 grants ($49.2B). These are DOGE's own self-reported savings figures, which independent reviewers have found to overstate realized savings (terminated contracts often had funds already spent or obligated); we show DOGE's claimed savings alongside the full contract value for transparency.
Federal Spending Guides
Understanding Federal Spending
What USASpending.gov tracks, contracts, grants, loans, and direct payments, and how federal money flows to recipients.
How Federal Contracts Are Awarded
The procurement process, contract types, competitive vs. sole-source awards, and small business set-asides explained.
Why Federal Spending Varies by State
Military bases, federal labs, population, and per capita analysis, why some states receive far more federal dollars than others.
What this means
FY2025 federal spending spans 56 states/territories, 3,232 counties, and 111 agencies.
- California receives the most federal spending of any state ($485.6B) -- but total spending and per-capita spending often rank states differently. Per-capita rankings
- HHS obligates more than any other tracked agency ($2.01T). See HHS detail
- DOGE reports 29,327 contract/grant terminations totaling $110.2B in claimed savings -- a separate, self-reported dataset layered on top of the USASpending.gov baseline above. DOGE impact tracker
Rankings by total spending and per-capita spending measure different things; a large state can rank high on one and mid-pack on the other. DOGE figures are self-reported and not independently verified by this site.
Explore More
Federal Spending Statistics
Key national figures, trends, and the biggest spenders in one place.
Top States by Spending
States receiving the most federal dollars in FY2025.
Per Capita Rankings
Federal spending per resident by state.
Top Agencies
Largest federal agencies by obligated spending.
Browse by County
Federal spending data at the county level.
DOGE Cuts
$110.2B in contract & grant terminations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What data does PlainSpending provide?
PlainSpending provides federal government spending data for FY2025 covering 50 states + DC + US territories (56 jurisdictions), 3,232 US counties and county-equivalents, and 111 federal agencies.
What types of spending are tracked?
The data includes contracts, grants, loans, direct payments, and other financial assistance from all top-tier federal agencies, broken down by recipient location.
Where does the data come from?
All data comes from USASpending.gov, the official source for federal spending data as required by the DATA Act.
Research
Original analysis from our editorial team, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.
Federal Spending Changes by State
Compare the latest two fiscal-year releases to see the largest dollar increases and decreases, with an explicit source and scope note.
BrowseFederal Spending by State
Per-state federal outlays, agency allocations, and per-capita comparisons sourced from USASpending.gov, with per-capita figures using Census Bureau population estimates.
BrowseAgencies & Spending Categories
Browse all top-tier federal agencies with FY2025 outlay totals and state-level breakdowns derived from USASpending.
ResearchCalifornia Federal Spending Trends, FY2021-FY2025
Track California's federal spending, which fell from $510.36 billion in FY2021 to $485.72 billion in FY2025, with per capita spending easing from $12,908 to $12,285 across 39.5 million residents.
About this data
How PlainSpending works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainSpending is a plain-language reference for U.S. federal government spending. We aggregate FY2025 award data from USASpending.gov, plus reported contract and grant terminations from the DOGE.gov savings API, into a single searchable database covering every state, county, and top-tier federal agency, with every figure traceable back to the official source.
Editorial process
- Source. Pull award and obligation records directly from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury), plus reported terminations from the DOGE.gov savings API.
- Verify. Every state, county, and agency total is computed from official DATA Act submission records, using Census Bureau population estimates for per-capita figures, without hand adjustment or estimation.
- Publish. Compile per-state, per-county, and per-agency pages with spending totals, rankings, and per-capita comparisons, linking back to the issuing source so readers can verify our figures directly.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainSpending editorial team is independent and accepts no payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from any agency or contractor. Found an error or a stale figure? File a correction via the contact page, we respond within 72 hours and publish corrections with a visible revision note. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
What data does PlainSpending provide?
PlainSpending provides federal government spending data for FY2025 covering 50 states + DC + US territories (56 jurisdictions), 3,232 US counties and county-equivalents, and 111 federal agencies.
What types of spending are tracked?
The data includes contracts, grants, loans, direct payments, and other financial assistance from all top-tier federal agencies, broken down by recipient location.
Where does the data come from?
All data comes from USASpending.gov, the official source for federal spending data as required by the DATA Act.