PlainSpending

Howard County

$79.4M in FY2025 federal spending, $8,388 per capita.

Iowa · FIPS 19089

In FY2025, Howard County in Iowa received $79.4M in federal spending - $8,388 per capita for a population of 9,469. This is 46.4% below the national average and 26.6% below the Iowa average. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #35 of 99 Iowa counties.

Total spending
$79.4M
Per capita
$8,388
vs. national avg
-46.4%
Fiscal year
FY2025

The verdict

Howard County posts above-median federal per-capita spending nationally.

National per-capita rank
Top 46%
of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending
$8,388
Iowa rank
#35 of 99

How Howard County Compares

Per-capita federal spending: Howard County vs. Iowa and the nation

Top 46% nationally
Howard County$8,388Iowa avg$11,432National avg$15,647

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

Population: 9,469 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

How Howard County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$8,388 Top 46% higher than 54% 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

Howard 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; Howard 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. 0200,000400,000600,000 $0$5,000$10,000$15,000 Population Spending per capita ($) Large and spending-intensiveSmall population, outsized spendingLarge population, modest per-residentSmaller footprint both ways
The 16 largest-population counties in Iowa by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Howard 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
Howard County (this county) 9,469 $8,388 $79.4M

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Howard County's $8,388 - prioritizing Iowa peers first.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Howard County, Iowa receive?
Howard County received $79.4M in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $8,388 per capita for the county's population of 9,469.
How does Howard County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
Howard County's per capita federal spending of $8,388 is 46.4% below the national average of $15,647. Compared to the Iowa average of $11,432, it is 26.6% below.
What is the population of Howard County, Iowa?
Howard County has a population of 9,469 according to Census Bureau estimates. This population figure is used to calculate the per capita federal spending of $8,388.
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.