PlainSpending

Macon County

$348.4M in FY2025 federal spending, $9,414 per capita.

North Carolina · FIPS 37113

In FY2025, Macon County in North Carolina received $348.4M in federal spending - $9,414 per capita for a population of 37,014. This is 39.8% below the national average and 24.1% below the North Carolina average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Social Security Administration. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #35 of 100 North Carolina counties.

Total spending
$348.4M
Per capita
$9,414
vs. national avg
-39.8%
Fiscal year
FY2025

The verdict

Macon County posts above-median federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending concentrated almost entirely in Social Security Administration.

National per-capita rank
Top 32%
of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending
$9,414
Leading agency
Social Security Administration
89.1% of tracked spending
North Carolina rank
#35 of 100

How Macon County Compares

Per-capita federal spending: Macon County vs. North Carolina and the nation

Top 32% nationally
Macon County$9,414North Carolina avg$12,400National avg$15,647

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

Population: 37,014 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

Leading Federal Agencies in Macon County

Top awarding agencies in Macon County, FY2025

Social Security Administration$276.0MDepartment of Veterans Affairs$27.9MDepartment of Transportation$5.9M

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

Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Social Security Administration is the most common leading agency nationally, topping 86% of agency-tracked counties.

These 3 agencies together account for $309.8M (88.9%) of Macon County's $348.4M 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 - Macon 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
Social Security Administration $276.0M 89.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs $27.9M 9%
Department of Transportation $5.9M 1.9%

How Macon County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$9,414 Top 32% higher than 68% 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

Macon County Among North Carolina's Largest Counties

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

The 16 largest-population counties in North Carolina by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Macon 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. 0500,0001,000,0001,500,000 $0$5,000$10,000$15,000$20,000 Population Spending per capita ($) Large and spending-intensiveSmall population, outsized spendingLarge population, modest per-residentSmaller footprint both ways
The 16 largest-population counties in North Carolina by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Macon County is highlighted.
Read the chart as a table
County Population Per capita Total spending
Wake County 1,129,410 $11,428 $12.9B
Mecklenburg County 1,115,482 $5,240 $5.8B
Guilford County 541,299 $7,579 $4.1B
Forsyth County 382,590 $7,451 $2.9B
Cumberland County 334,728 $12,871 $4.3B
Durham County 324,833 $18,868 $6.1B
Buncombe County 269,452 $13,420 $3.6B
Union County 238,267 $5,561 $1.3B
Gaston County 227,943 $6,974 $1.6B
Cabarrus County 225,804 $5,453 $1.2B
New Hanover County 225,702 $8,720 $2.0B
Johnston County 215,999 $6,735 $1.5B
Onslow County 204,576 $11,691 $2.4B
Iredell County 186,693 $7,826 $1.5B
Alamance County 171,415 $6,612 $1.1B
Macon County (this county) 37,014 $9,414 $348.4M

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Macon County's $9,414 - prioritizing North Carolina peers first.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Macon County, North Carolina receive?
Macon County received $348.4M in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $9,414 per capita for the county's population of 37,014.
How does Macon County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
Macon County's per capita federal spending of $9,414 is 39.8% below the national average of $15,647. Compared to the North Carolina average of $12,400, it is 24.1% below.
What is the population of Macon County, North Carolina?
Macon County has a population of 37,014 according to Census Bureau estimates. This population figure is used to calculate the per capita federal spending of $9,414.
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.