PlainSpending

Putnam County

$426.2M in FY2025 federal spending, $7,420 per capita.

West Virginia · FIPS 54079

In FY2025, Putnam County in West Virginia received $426.2M in federal spending - $7,420 per capita for a population of 57,440. This is 52.6% below the national average and 44.1% below the West Virginia average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Social Security Administration. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #49 of 55 West Virginia counties.

Total spending
$426.2M
Per capita
$7,420
vs. national avg
-52.6%
Fiscal year
FY2025

Mid-ladder absolute book

Putnam County is mid-pack on absolute obligations (#976 of 3,224, $426.2M).

Mid-ladder absolute book

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

National per-capita rank
Top 65%
of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending
$7,420
Leading agency
Social Security Administration
85.2% of tracked spending
West Virginia rank
#49 of 55

How Putnam County Compares

Per-capita federal spending: Putnam County vs. West Virginia and the nation

Putnam County$7,420West Virginia avg$13,273National avg$15,647
Source: USASpending.gov FY2025 + U.S. Census Bureau population estimates.

Population: 57,440 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

Leading Federal Agencies in Putnam County

Top awarding agencies in Putnam County, FY2025

Social Security Administrati…$346.3MDepartment of Veterans Affai…$42.3MDepartment of Education$18.0M
Source: USASpending.gov FY2025, aggregated by awarding agency.

Among the 3,224 US counties with agency-level spending data, Social Security Administration is the most common leading agency nationally, topping 89.7% of agency-tracked counties.

These 3 agencies together account for $406.6M (95.4%) of Putnam County's $426.2M in total tracked federal spending.

All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Putnam 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 $346.3M 85.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs $42.3M 10.4%
Department of Education $18.0M 4.4%

How Putnam County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$7,420 Around the middle higher than 35% 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

Putnam County Among West Virginia's Largest Counties

Population vs. per-capita spending: West Virginia's biggest counties

The 15 largest-population counties in West Virginia by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Putnam County is highlighted. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 15 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 050,000100,000150,000200,000 $6,000$8,000$10,000$12,000$14,000 Population Spending per capita ($)
The 15 largest-population counties in West Virginia by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Putnam County is highlighted.
Read the chart as a table
County Population Per capita Total spending
Kanawha 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 (this 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

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Putnam County's $7,420 - prioritizing West Virginia peers first.

Lincoln County

West Virginia

$7,409 per capita

$151.6M total

Preston County

West Virginia

$7,407 per capita

$253.4M total

Hardy County

West Virginia

$7,537 per capita

$107.8M total

Cabell County

West Virginia

$7,593 per capita

$716.4M total

Tyler County

West Virginia

$7,599 per capita

$63.2M total

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

Nationwide counties with similar per-capita or total federal spending

Two peer sets outside West Virginia - 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 ($7,420 here).

Similar total federal spending

Nearest out-of-state counties by total obligations ($426.2M 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 →