Rutherford County
$957.7M in FY2025 federal spending, $14,861 per capita.
North Carolina · FIPS 37161
In FY2025, Rutherford County in North Carolina received $957.7M in federal spending - $14,861 per capita for a population of 64,444. This is 5.0% below the national average and 19.8% above the North Carolina average. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #7 of 100 North Carolina counties.
- Total spending
- $957.7M
- Per capita
- $14,861
- vs. national avg
- -5.0%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Rutherford County posts top-10% federal per-capita spending nationally.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 8%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $14,861
- North Carolina rank
- #7 of 100
How Rutherford County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Rutherford County vs. North Carolina and the nation
Population: 64,444 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
How Rutherford County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$14,861 Top 8% higher than 92% 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
Rutherford County Among North Carolina's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: North Carolina's biggest counties
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 |
| Rutherford County (this county) | 64,444 | $14,861 | $957.7M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Rutherford County's $14,861 - prioritizing North Carolina peers first.
Craven County
North Carolina
$14,860 per capita
$1.5B total
Ashe County
North Carolina
$15,398 per capita
$409.2M total
Brunswick County
North Carolina
$15,745 per capita
$2.2B total
Polk County
North Carolina
$16,122 per capita
$311.6M total
Jones County
North Carolina
$13,553 per capita
$124.3M total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Rutherford County, North Carolina receive?
How does Rutherford County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Rutherford County, North Carolina?
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.