Bethel Census Area
$282.5M in FY2025 federal spending, $15,134 per capita.
Alaska · FIPS 02050
In FY2025, Bethel Census Area in Alaska received $282.5M in federal spending - $15,134 per capita for a population of 18,666. This is 3.3% below the national average and 39.7% below the Alaska average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Department of the Interior. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #21 of 30 Alaska counties.
- Total spending
- $282.5M
- Per capita
- $15,134
- vs. national avg
- -3.3%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Bethel Census Area posts top-10% federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending led by Department of the Interior, among several agencies.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 8%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $15,134
- Leading agency
- Department of the Interior
- 44.5% of tracked spending
- Alaska rank
- #21 of 30
How Bethel Census Area Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Bethel Census Area vs. Alaska and the nation
Population: 18,666 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
Leading Federal Agencies in Bethel Census Area
Top awarding agencies in Bethel Census Area, FY2025
Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Department of the Interior is a comparatively unusual leading agency, topping only 0.3% of agency-tracked counties nationally -- often a sign of a single large federal facility rather than broad-based spending.
These 3 agencies together account for $212.2M (75.1%) of Bethel Census Area's $282.5M in total tracked federal spending -- the remainder is spread across smaller awarding agencies not individually broken out in this dataset.
All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Bethel Census Area has no smaller residual awarding agencies broken out beyond this set, a compact agency footprint rather than a long tail of minor awardees.
Read the agency breakdown as a table
| Agency | Spending | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | $94.5M | 44.5% |
| Federal Communications Commission | $78.5M | 37% |
| Department of Education | $39.3M | 18.5% |
How Bethel Census Area Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$15,134 Top 8% higher than 92% of 3,224 US counties
Each bar is a $1K-wide band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USASpending.gov FY2025 + U.S. Census Bureau population estimates
Bethel Census Area Among Alaska's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: Alaska's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage Municipality | 291,247 | $14,380 | $4.2B |
| Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 107,081 | $7,792 | $834.4M |
| Fairbanks North Star Borough | 95,655 | $15,496 | $1.5B |
| Kenai Peninsula Borough | 58,799 | $12,320 | $724.4M |
| Juneau City and Borough | 32,255 | $52,249 | $1.7B |
| Bethel Census Area (this county) | 18,666 | $15,134 | $282.5M |
| Ketchikan Gateway Borough | 13,948 | $15,818 | $220.6M |
| Kodiak Island Borough | 13,101 | $22,001 | $288.2M |
| North Slope Borough | 11,031 | $10,639 | $117.4M |
| Nome Census Area | 10,046 | $61,137 | $614.2M |
| Sitka City and Borough | 8,458 | $19,424 | $164.3M |
| Kusilvak Census Area | 8,368 | $8,805 | $73.7M |
| Northwest Arctic Borough | 7,793 | $39,178 | $305.3M |
| Chugach Census Area | 7,102 | $11,519 | $81.8M |
| Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 6,808 | $28,074 | $191.1M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Bethel Census Area's $15,134 - prioritizing Alaska peers first.
Skagway Municipality
Alaska
$15,464 per capita
$19.2M total
Fairbanks North Star Borough
Alaska
$15,496 per capita
$1.5B total
Aleutians East Borough
Alaska
$15,557 per capita
$53.2M total
Haines Borough
Alaska
$15,739 per capita
$32.7M total
Ketchikan Gateway Borough
Alaska
$15,818 per capita
$220.6M total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Bethel Census Area, Alaska receive?
How does Bethel Census Area's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Bethel Census Area, Alaska?
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.
Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →
Every figure on PlainSpending is computed directly from USASpending.gov award-transaction data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates every federal award with a place-of-performance in this county, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.