Bristol County
$3.8B in FY2025 federal spending, $6,527 per capita.
Massachusetts · FIPS 25005
In FY2025, Bristol County in Massachusetts received $3.8B in federal spending - $6,527 per capita for a population of 579,200. This is 58.3% below the national average and 55.6% below the Massachusetts average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Social Security Administration. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #13 of 14 Massachusetts counties.
- Total spending
- $3.8B
- Per capita
- $6,527
- vs. national avg
- -58.3%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Bristol County posts below-median federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending concentrated almost entirely in Social Security Administration.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 85%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $6,527
- Leading agency
- Social Security Administration
- 87.4% of tracked spending
- Massachusetts rank
- #13 of 14
How Bristol County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Bristol County vs. Massachusetts and the nation
Population: 579,200 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
Leading Federal Agencies in Bristol County
Top awarding agencies in Bristol County, FY2025
Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Social Security Administration is the most common leading agency nationally, topping 86% of agency-tracked counties.
These 3 agencies together account for $3.1B (83%) of Bristol County's $3.8B 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 - Bristol County 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $2.7B | 87.4% |
| Department of Transportation | $197.7M | 6.3% |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $197.2M | 6.3% |
How Bristol County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$6,527 Top 85% higher than 15% 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
Bristol County Among Massachusetts's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: Massachusetts's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 1,632,002 | $15,809 | $25.8B |
| Worcester County | 862,111 | $6,968 | $6.0B |
| Essex County | 809,829 | $13,851 | $11.2B |
| Suffolk County | 797,936 | $15,681 | $12.5B |
| Norfolk County | 725,981 | $7,972 | $5.8B |
| Bristol County (this county) | 579,200 | $6,527 | $3.8B |
| Plymouth County | 530,819 | $8,056 | $4.3B |
| Hampden County | 465,825 | $7,474 | $3.5B |
| Barnstable County | 228,996 | $12,300 | $2.8B |
| Hampshire County | 162,308 | $8,156 | $1.3B |
| Berkshire County | 129,026 | $11,909 | $1.5B |
| Franklin County | 71,029 | $7,723 | $548.6M |
| Dukes County | 20,600 | $8,754 | $180.3M |
| Nantucket County | 14,255 | $4,223 | $60.2M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Bristol County's $6,527 - prioritizing Massachusetts peers first.
Worcester County
Massachusetts
$6,968 per capita
$6.0B total
Hampden County
Massachusetts
$7,474 per capita
$3.5B total
Franklin County
Massachusetts
$7,723 per capita
$548.6M total
Norfolk County
Massachusetts
$7,972 per capita
$5.8B total
Plymouth County
Massachusetts
$8,056 per capita
$4.3B total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Bristol County, Massachusetts receive?
How does Bristol County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Bristol County, Massachusetts?
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.