PlainSpending

Des Moines County

$1.3B in FY2025 federal spending, $32,702 per capita (+109.0% vs national).

Iowa · FIPS 19057

In FY2025, Des Moines County in Iowa posted a dense absolute book of $1.3B ($32,702 per capita across 38,910 residents). That is 109.0% above the national average and 186.0% above the Iowa average. Department of Defense leads tracked agency share. Statewide per-capita rank: #1 of 99.

Total spending
$1.3B
Per capita
$32,702
vs. national avg
+109.0%
Fiscal year
FY2025

Well above national average

Des Moines County runs 109.0% above the $15,647 national average.

Well above national average

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
78.5% 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

Des Moines County$32,702Iowa avg$11,432National avg$15,647
Source: USASpending.gov FY2025 + U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

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

Department of Defense$951.3MSocial Security Administrati…$234.7MDepartment of Transportation$26.5M
Source: USASpending.gov FY2025, aggregated by awarding agency.

Among the 3,224 US counties with agency-level spending data, Department of Defense is a comparatively unusual leading agency, topping only 2.6% 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 $1.2B (95.3%) of Des Moines County's $1.3B in total tracked federal spending.

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 $951.3M 78.5%
Social Security Administration $234.7M 19.4%
Department of Transportation $26.5M 2.2%

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

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 and 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

The 16 largest-population counties in Iowa by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Des Moines County is highlighted. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 16 entities by Population (X) and Spending per capita ($) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Large and spending-intensiveSmall population, outsized spendingLarge population, modest per-residentSmaller footprint both ways 0100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000 $0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000 Population Spending per capita ($)
The 16 largest-population counties in Iowa by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Des Moines County is highlighted.
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

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Des Moines County's $32,702 - prioritizing Iowa peers first.

Linn County

Iowa

$14,286 per capita

$3.3B total

Hancock County

Iowa

$13,829 per capita

$149.3M total

Audubon County

Iowa

$10,827 per capita

$61.4M total

Fremont County

Iowa

$10,800 per capita

$71.3M total

Dickinson County

Iowa

$10,142 per capita

$179.5M total

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

Nationwide counties with similar per-capita or total federal spending

Two peer sets outside Iowa - per-resident intensity and total obligation volume, distinct from the same-state neighbors above.

Similar per-capita spending

Nearest out-of-state counties by federal spending per resident ($32,702 here).

Similar total federal spending

Nearest out-of-state counties by total obligations ($1.3B here).

Counties with fewer than 10,000 residents are excluded from the nationwide comparison corpus.

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.

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

Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →