Suffolk County
$12.5B in FY2025 federal spending, $15,681 per capita.
Massachusetts · FIPS 25025
In FY2025, Suffolk County in Massachusetts received $12.5B in federal spending - $15,681 per capita for a population of 797,936. This is 0.2% above the national average and 6.8% above the Massachusetts average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Department of Health and Human Services. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #2 of 14 Massachusetts counties.
- Total spending
- $12.5B
- Per capita
- $15,681
- vs. national avg
- +0.2%
- Fiscal year
- FY2025
The verdict
Suffolk County posts top-10% federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending dominated by Department of Health and Human Services.
- National per-capita rank
- Top 7%
- of 3,232 US counties
- Per-capita spending
- $15,681
- Leading agency
- Department of Health and Human Services
- 55% of tracked spending
- Massachusetts rank
- #2 of 14
How Suffolk County Compares
Per-capita federal spending: Suffolk County vs. Massachusetts and the nation
Population: 797,936 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.
Leading Federal Agencies in Suffolk County
Top awarding agencies in Suffolk County, FY2025
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 $9.4B (75.4%) of Suffolk County's $12.5B 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 - Suffolk 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 | $5.2B | 55% |
| Social Security Administration | $2.2B | 22.9% |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $2.1B | 22.1% |
How Suffolk County Ranks Nationally
Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties
All 3,232 US counties, FY2025
$15,681 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Suffolk County Among Massachusetts's Largest Counties
Population vs. per-capita spending: Massachusetts's biggest counties
Read the chart as a table
| County | Population | Per capita | Total spending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex County | 1,632,002 | $15,809 | $25.8B |
| Worcester County | 862,111 | $6,968 | $6.0B |
| Essex County | 809,829 | $13,851 | $11.2B |
| Suffolk County (this county) | 797,936 | $15,681 | $12.5B |
| Norfolk County | 725,981 | $7,972 | $5.8B |
| Bristol County | 579,200 | $6,527 | $3.8B |
| Plymouth County | 530,819 | $8,056 | $4.3B |
| Hampden County | 465,825 | $7,474 | $3.5B |
| Barnstable County | 228,996 | $12,300 | $2.8B |
| Hampshire County | 162,308 | $8,156 | $1.3B |
| Berkshire County | 129,026 | $11,909 | $1.5B |
| Franklin County | 71,029 | $7,723 | $548.6M |
| Dukes County | 20,600 | $8,754 | $180.3M |
| Nantucket County | 14,255 | $4,223 | $60.2M |
Federal Spending Guides
Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending
Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Suffolk County's $15,681 - prioritizing Massachusetts peers first.
Middlesex County
Massachusetts
$15,809 per capita
$25.8B total
Essex County
Massachusetts
$13,851 per capita
$11.2B total
Barnstable County
Massachusetts
$12,300 per capita
$2.8B total
Berkshire County
Massachusetts
$11,909 per capita
$1.5B total
Dukes County
Massachusetts
$8,754 per capita
$180.3M total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Suffolk County, Massachusetts receive?
How does Suffolk County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
What is the population of Suffolk County, Massachusetts?
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.