PlainSpending

Dane County

$54.4B in FY2025 federal spending, $96,863 per capita.

Wisconsin · FIPS 55025

In FY2025, Dane County in Wisconsin received $54.4B in federal spending - $96,863 per capita for a population of 561,504. This is 519.1% above the national average and 405.3% above the Wisconsin average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Department of Health and Human Services. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #1 of 72 Wisconsin counties.

Total spending
$54.4B
Per capita
$96,863
vs. national avg
+519.1%
Fiscal year
FY2025

The verdict

Dane County posts top-1% federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending concentrated almost entirely in Department of Health and Human Services.

National per-capita rank
Top 1%
of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending
$96,863
Leading agency
Department of Health and Human Services
93.2% of tracked spending
Wisconsin rank
#1 of 72

How Dane County Compares

Per-capita federal spending: Dane County vs. Wisconsin and the nation

Top 1% nationally
Dane County$96,863Wisconsin avg$19,169National avg$15,647

Source: USASpending.gov FY2025 + U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

Population: 561,504 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

Leading Federal Agencies in Dane County

Top awarding agencies in Dane County, FY2025

Department of Health and Huma…$48.2BSocial Security Administration$2.4BDepartment of Commerce$1.1B

Source: USASpending.gov FY2025, aggregated by awarding agency.

Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Department of Health and Human Services is a comparatively unusual leading agency, topping only 3.4% 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 $51.7B (95%) of Dane County's $54.4B in total tracked federal spending.

All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Dane 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
Department of Health and Human Services $48.2B 93.2%
Social Security Administration $2.4B 4.6%
Department of Commerce $1.1B 2.2%

How Dane County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$96,863 Top 1% higher than 99% of 3,224 US counties

This county $0 $20K+ all US counties, per-capita spending, bucketed by value

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

Dane County Among Wisconsin's Largest Counties

Population vs. per-capita spending: Wisconsin's biggest counties

The 15 largest-population counties in Wisconsin by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Dane County is highlighted. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 15 entities by Population (X) and Spending per capita ($) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. 0200,000400,000600,000800,0001,000,000 $0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000$120,000 Population Spending per capita ($) Large and spending-intensiveSmall population, outsized spendingLarge population, modest per-residentSmaller footprint both ways
The 15 largest-population counties in Wisconsin by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Dane County is highlighted.
Read the chart as a table
County Population Per capita Total spending
Milwaukee County 939,489 $6,376 $6.0B
Dane County (this county) 561,504 $96,863 $54.4B
Waukesha County 406,978 $7,959 $3.2B
Brown County 268,740 $6,595 $1.8B
Racine County 197,727 $6,617 $1.3B
Outagamie County 190,705 $7,226 $1.4B
Winnebago County 171,730 $21,391 $3.7B
Kenosha County 169,151 $6,400 $1.1B
Rock County 163,687 $9,463 $1.5B
Marathon County 138,013 $6,581 $908.3M
Washington County 136,761 $7,004 $957.9M
La Crosse County 120,784 $28,100 $3.4B
Sheboygan County 118,034 $6,979 $823.8M
Walworth County 106,478 $6,885 $733.1M
Eau Claire County 105,710 $6,379 $674.3M

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Dane County's $96,863 - prioritizing Wisconsin peers first.

Compare states side-by-side in the compare tool →

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Dane County, Wisconsin receive?
Dane County received $54.4B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $96,863 per capita for the county's population of 561,504.
How does Dane County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
Dane County's per capita federal spending of $96,863 is 519.1% above the national average of $15,647. Compared to the Wisconsin average of $19,169, it is 405.3% above.
What is the population of Dane County, Wisconsin?
Dane County has a population of 561,504 according to Census Bureau estimates. This population figure is used to calculate the per capita federal spending of $96,863.
Data Source: USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury), Fiscal Year 2025. Population denominators are U.S. Census Bureau vintage estimates. County-level spending includes all federal awards with place of performance in this county; OMB budget categorizations are reflected at the agency level.

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.