Kanawha County
$2.1B in FY2025 federal spending, $11,508 per capita.
West Virginia · FIPS 54039
In FY2025, Kanawha County in West Virginia received $2.1B in federal spending - $11,508 per capita for a population of 180,745. This is 26.5% below the national average and 13.3% below the West Virginia average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Department of Commerce. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #5 of 55 West Virginia counties.
- Total spending
- $2.1B
- Per capita
- $11,508
- vs. national avg
- -26.5%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Kanawha County posts top-quartile federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending led by Department of Commerce, among several agencies.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 17%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $11,508
- Leading agency
- Department of Commerce
- 46.3% of tracked spending
- West Virginia rank
- #5 of 55
How Kanawha County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Kanawha County vs. West Virginia and the nation
Population: 180,745 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
Leading Federal Agencies in Kanawha County
Top awarding agencies in Kanawha County, FY2025
Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Department of Commerce is a comparatively unusual leading agency, topping only 0.8% 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 $2.6B (100%) of Kanawha County's $2.1B in total tracked federal spending.
All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Kanawha 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 Commerce | $1.2B | 46.3% |
| Social Security Administration | $1.1B | 41.6% |
| Department of Education | $316.1M | 12.1% |
How Kanawha County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$11,508 Top 17% higher than 83% 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
Kanawha County Among West Virginia's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: West Virginia's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanawha County (this county) | 180,745 | $11,508 | $2.1B |
| Berkeley County | 122,076 | $9,041 | $1.1B |
| Monongalia County | 105,822 | $9,699 | $1.0B |
| Cabell County | 94,350 | $7,593 | $716.4M |
| Wood County | 84,296 | $8,129 | $685.3M |
| Raleigh County | 74,591 | $9,154 | $682.8M |
| Harrison County | 65,921 | $10,600 | $698.8M |
| Mercer County | 59,664 | $8,818 | $526.1M |
| Jefferson County | 57,701 | $12,205 | $704.2M |
| Putnam County | 57,440 | $7,420 | $426.2M |
| Marion County | 56,205 | $9,080 | $510.3M |
| Ohio County | 42,425 | $8,262 | $350.5M |
| Fayette County | 40,488 | $8,789 | $355.8M |
| Wayne County | 38,982 | $9,444 | $368.1M |
| Preston County | 34,216 | $7,407 | $253.4M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Kanawha County's $11,508 - prioritizing West Virginia peers first.
Roane County
West Virginia
$11,436 per capita
$160.4M total
Wyoming County
West Virginia
$11,996 per capita
$256.5M total
Jefferson County
West Virginia
$12,205 per capita
$704.2M total
Jackson County
West Virginia
$10,700 per capita
$297.4M total
Harrison County
West Virginia
$10,600 per capita
$698.8M total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Kanawha County, West Virginia receive?
How does Kanawha County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Kanawha County, West Virginia?
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.