How much did ED spend in FY2025?

Department of Education obligated $61.4B in FY2025 - a heavy absolute book against $154.1B in budget authority.

What is ED's budget utilization rate?

Department of Education utilized 39.9% of its $154.1B budget authority, obligating $61.4B in FY2025.

How does ED rank among federal agencies?

Department of Education ranks #11 out of 111 federal agencies by obligated amount in FY2025, with $61.4B in total obligations (-5.6% vs the average agency).

What is the difference between budget authority and obligated amount?

Budget authority is the ceiling Congress authorizes; obligated amount is what ED has committed through awards. For FY2025, $154.1B was authorized and $61.4B was obligated (39.9% utilization).

Where can I find detailed ED spending data?

Detailed spending data for Department of Education is available on USASpending.gov. This page shows FY2025 budget authority, obligations, and peer context from the official federal spending database.

Federal agency spending profile · FY2025 USASpending.gov

Department of Education (ED)

$61.4B obligated in FY2025 - a heavy absolute book (rank #11 of 111).

Public-data reference · official source

Compiled by PlainSpending

Data updated September 2025

Department of Education posted a dense absolute book of $61.4B in FY2025 against $154.1B in budget authority (39.9% utilization). That is 5.6% below the average of all 111 tracked federal agencies.

Obligated: $61.4B
Budget utilization: 39.9%; Middle third
vs. average agency: -5.6%
Fiscal year: FY2025

Rank #11 of 111 agencies Similar size to DOE

Heavy absolute obligation book

Department of Education sits #11 of 96 top-tier agencies by obligations ($61.4B).

According to USASpending.gov, Department of Education (ED) posted a dense absolute obligation book of $61.4B in FY2025 against $154.1B in congressional budget authority (39.9% utilization). That places the agency at rank #11 of 111 tracked federal agencies, a heavy absolute book relative to the corpus.

DOGE has recorded 153 terminations at ED with $748.8M in claimed savings, an unverified post-FY slice against this mid 39.9% draw-down of $154.1B.

Figures are award-transaction data from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury). See our methodology for how each agency total is assembled.

How does this agency compare?

Budget Authority

$154.1B

Obligated Amount

$61.4B

Rank #11

How ED Ranks Nationally

ED vs. all federal agencies by obligated amount

All 96 agencies with recorded FY2025 obligations

$61,443,949,485 11th of 96 higher than 0 of 96 agencies

all federal agencies with recorded obligations, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $10000000K-wide band; taller bars hold more agencies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USASpending.gov FY2025 agency obligations

Budget Utilization

ED had $154.1B in budget authority and obligated $61.4B, a utilization rate of 39.9%. That sits mid-band on draw-down versus peer agencies in this corpus.

$0 $154.1B

DOGE Impact

DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) has terminated contracts and grants at this agency.

Claimed Savings

$748.8M

Terminations

153

View DOGE Terminations →

Savings figures are reported by DOGE.gov and have not been independently verified.

Read with this ED obligation profile

Agencies With Similar Spending Levels

Federal agencies with obligated amounts closest to ED's $61.4B.

DOE

$53.5B

Department of Energy

HUD

$69.7B

Department of Housing and Urban Development

DOL

$45.5B

Department of Labor

DOJ

$37.8B

Department of Justice

DOT

$85.2B

Department of Transportation

Compare federal spending side-by-side →

Nationwide agencies with similar budget utilization or grant mix

Two federal-spending peer sets for ED - budget-authority draw-down rate and grant award-count share, distinct from the obligation-level neighbors above.

Similar budget utilization

Nearest nationwide agencies by obligated-to-budget-authority rate (39.9% here).

SEC · 38.9% utilized
DOE · 38.8% utilized
OPM · 38.1% utilized
USAID · 38% utilized

Similar grant award-count share

Nearest nationwide agencies by grant awards as a share of total award counts (30% grants here).

DOC · 29.8% grant awards
USAID · 23.8% grant awards
DOI · 40.8% grant awards
DOS · 17.1% grant awards

Grant share is measured on USASpending award counts, not dollar obligations. Agencies below $1B in obligated amount are excluded from the comparison corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did ED spend in FY2025?: Department of Education obligated $61.4B in FY2025 - a heavy absolute book against $154.1B in budget authority.
What is ED's budget utilization rate?: Department of Education utilized 39.9% of its $154.1B budget authority, obligating $61.4B in FY2025.
How does ED rank among federal agencies?: Department of Education ranks #11 out of 111 federal agencies by obligated amount in FY2025, with $61.4B in total obligations (-5.6% vs the average agency).
What is the difference between budget authority and obligated amount?: Budget authority is the ceiling Congress authorizes; obligated amount is what ED has committed through awards. For FY2025, $154.1B was authorized and $61.4B was obligated (39.9% utilization).
Where can I find detailed ED spending data?: Detailed spending data for Department of Education is available on USASpending.gov. This page shows FY2025 budget authority, obligations, and peer context from the official federal spending database.

Data Source: USASpending.gov, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Fiscal Year 2025. Budget authority totals are reconciled against OMB Program and Financial Schedules where available.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from USASpending.gov. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.

Compiled by PlainSpending, Federal Spending Editorial Process