PlainSpending

Richland County

$80.2B in FY2025 federal spending, $192,829 per capita.

South Carolina · FIPS 45079

In FY2025, Richland County in South Carolina received $80.2B in federal spending - $192,829 per capita for a population of 416,147. This is 1132.4% above the national average and 619.8% above the South Carolina average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Department of Health and Human Services. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #1 of 46 South Carolina counties.

Total spending
$80.2B
Per capita
$192,829
vs. national avg
+1132.4%
Fiscal year
FY2025

The verdict

Richland County posts top-1% federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending concentrated almost entirely in Department of Health and Human Services.

National per-capita rank
Top 1%
of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending
$192,829
Leading agency
Department of Health and Human Services
96.6% of tracked spending
South Carolina rank
#1 of 46

How Richland County Compares

Per-capita federal spending: Richland County vs. South Carolina and the nation

Top 1% nationally
Richland County$192,829South Carolina avg$26,788National avg$15,647

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

Population: 416,147 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

Leading Federal Agencies in Richland County

Top awarding agencies in Richland County, FY2025

Department of Health and Huma…$71.4BSocial Security Administration$1.8BDepartment of Education$779.8M

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

Among the 1,150 US counties with agency-level spending data, Department of Health and Human Services is a comparatively unusual leading agency, topping only 3.4% 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 $74.0B (92.2%) of Richland County's $80.2B in total tracked federal spending.

All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Richland 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 Health and Human Services $71.4B 96.6%
Social Security Administration $1.8B 2.4%
Department of Education $779.8M 1.1%

How Richland County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$192,829 Top 1% higher than 99% 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

Richland County Among South Carolina's Largest Counties

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

The 15 largest-population counties in South Carolina by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Richland 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. 0100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000 $0$50,000$100,000$150,000$200,000$250,000 Population Spending per capita ($) Large and spending-intensiveSmall population, outsized spendingLarge population, modest per-residentSmaller footprint both ways
The 15 largest-population counties in South Carolina by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Richland County is highlighted.
Read the chart as a table
County Population Per capita Total spending
Greenville County 525,534 $7,449 $3.9B
Richland County (this county) 416,147 $192,829 $80.2B
Charleston County 408,235 $12,584 $5.1B
Horry County 351,029 $11,512 $4.0B
Spartanburg County 327,997 $6,888 $2.3B
Lexington County 293,991 $8,070 $2.4B
York County 282,090 $6,524 $1.8B
Berkeley County 229,861 $10,111 $2.3B
Anderson County 203,718 $7,499 $1.5B
Beaufort County 187,117 $10,683 $2.0B
Aiken County 168,808 $28,549 $4.8B
Dorchester County 161,540 $6,878 $1.1B
Florence County 137,059 $7,201 $987.0M
Pickens County 131,404 $7,711 $1.0B
Sumter County 105,556 $11,961 $1.3B

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Richland County's $192,829 - prioritizing South Carolina peers first.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Richland County, South Carolina receive?
Richland County received $80.2B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $192,829 per capita for the county's population of 416,147.
How does Richland County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
Richland County's per capita federal spending of $192,829 is 1132.4% above the national average of $15,647. Compared to the South Carolina average of $26,788, it is 619.8% above.
What is the population of Richland County, South Carolina?
Richland County has a population of 416,147 according to Census Bureau estimates. This population figure is used to calculate the per capita federal spending of $192,829.
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.