Des Moines County
$1.3B in FY2025 federal spending, $32,702 per capita.
Iowa · FIPS 19057
In FY2025, Des Moines County in Iowa received $1.3B in federal spending - $32,702 per capita for a population of 38,910. This is 109.0% above the national average and 186.0% above the Iowa average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Department of Defense. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #1 of 99 Iowa counties.
- Total spending
- $1.3B
- Per capita
- $32,702
- vs. national avg
- +109.0%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Des Moines County posts top-5% federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending dominated by Department of Defense.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 2%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $32,702
- Leading agency
- Department of Defense
- 57.5% of tracked spending
- Iowa rank
- #1 of 99
How Des Moines County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Des Moines County vs. Iowa and the nation
Population: 38,910 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
Leading Federal Agencies in Des Moines County
Top awarding agencies in Des Moines County, FY2025
Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Department of Defense is a comparatively unusual leading agency, topping only 6.4% 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 $610.7M (48%) of Des Moines County's $1.3B 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 - Des Moines 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 Defense | $351.0M | 57.5% |
| Social Security Administration | $222.1M | 36.4% |
| Department of Transportation | $37.5M | 6.1% |
How Des Moines County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$32,702 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Des Moines County Among Iowa's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: Iowa's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 492,401 | $8,689 | $4.3B |
| Linn County | 230,299 | $14,286 | $3.3B |
| Scott County | 174,669 | $6,475 | $1.1B |
| Johnson County | 152,854 | $7,353 | $1.1B |
| Black Hawk County | 131,144 | $7,035 | $922.6M |
| Woodbury County | 105,941 | $6,667 | $706.3M |
| Dallas County | 99,678 | $5,045 | $502.9M |
| Dubuque County | 99,266 | $7,862 | $780.4M |
| Story County | 98,537 | $8,246 | $812.5M |
| Pottawattamie County | 93,667 | $7,177 | $672.3M |
| Warren County | 52,403 | $6,537 | $342.5M |
| Clinton County | 46,460 | $7,884 | $366.3M |
| Muscatine County | 43,235 | $7,062 | $305.3M |
| Cerro Gordo County | 43,127 | $8,675 | $374.1M |
| Marshall County | 40,105 | $7,031 | $282.0M |
| Des Moines County (this county) | 38,910 | $32,702 | $1.3B |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Des Moines County's $32,702 - prioritizing Iowa peers first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Des Moines County, Iowa receive?
How does Des Moines County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Des Moines County, Iowa?
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.