Sussex County

$2.8B in FY2025 federal spending, $11,718 per capita.

Delaware · FIPS 10005

Compiled by PlainSpending Editorial, Federal Spending Editorial Team

Data updated September 2025

In FY2025, Sussex County in Delaware received $2.8B in federal spending - $11,718 per capita for a population of 237,378. This is 25.1% below the national average and 5.2% below the Delaware average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Social Security Administration. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #1 of 3 Delaware counties.

Total spending: $2.8B
Per capita: $11,718
vs. national avg: -25.1%
Fiscal year: FY2025

The verdict

Sussex County posts top-quartile federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending concentrated almost entirely in Social Security Administration.

National per-capita rank: Top 16%; of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending: $11,718
Leading agency: Social Security Administration; 89.2% of tracked spending
Delaware rank: #1 of 3

Understanding Sussex County's federal spending

National & state context

According to USASpending.gov, the official federal award-transaction dataset, Sussex County in Delaware received $2.8B in federal spending in Fiscal Year 2025, equivalent to $11,718 per resident across a Census-estimated population of 237,378 (FIPS 10005). This per-capita intensity is 25.1% below the $15,647 national average, positioning Sussex County as a lower-intensity recipient relative to the typical U.S. county.

Inside Delaware, where statewide federal spending reached $12.2B ($12,366 per capita), Sussex County's $11,718 per resident is 5.2% below the state average.

By per-capita federal spending alone, Sussex County ranks #1 of 3 Delaware counties.

Spending concentration

A single county rarely dominates a state's federal-spending total, but Sussex County is the exception here, pulling in 22.7% of every dollar Delaware received statewide, a concentration usually tied to a major base, medical center, or federal facility.

Reading this number carefully

A per-capita figure this far from the norm is worth a second look before drawing conclusions. Nationally, county-level federal spending concentrates around a small number of drivers: a major military installation, a large VA medical center or federal hospital, a national laboratory, a federal prison, or a small resident population inflating an otherwise ordinary per-capita number. The dataset records dollars by place of performance only, it does not identify which of these applies to Sussex County, so this figure is best read as a prompt for further research rather than a stand-alone measure of local prosperity or federal favoritism. Readers comparing Sussex County to neighboring counties should also check population size before assuming the gap reflects total dollars rather than a small denominator.

Federal spending is attributed by place of performance, not recipient headquarters. See our methodology for the full population-source, attribution, and data-vintage rules.

How Sussex County Compares

Population: 237,378 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

Leading Federal Agencies in Sussex County

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 $2.5B (88.1%) of Sussex County's $2.8B 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 - Sussex 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	$2.2B	89.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs	$133.5M	5.4%
Department of Transportation	$130.2M	5.3%

How Sussex County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$11,718 Top 16% higher than 84% 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

Federal Spending Guides

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Sussex County's $11,718 - prioritizing Delaware peers first.

Kent County

Delaware

$10,011 per capita

$1.8B total

New Castle County

Delaware

$7,519 per capita

$4.3B total

Yavapai County

Arizona

$11,717 per capita

$2.8B total

Baraga County

Michigan

$11,716 per capita

$95.6M total

Golden Valley County

Montana

$11,712 per capita

$9.6M total

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Sussex County, Delaware receive?

Sussex County received $2.8B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $11,718 per capita for the county's population of 237,378.

How does Sussex County's per capita spending compare to the national average?

Sussex County's per capita federal spending of $11,718 is 25.1% below the national average of $15,647. Compared to the Delaware average of $12,366, it is 5.2% below.

What is the population of Sussex County, Delaware?

Sussex County has a population of 237,378 according to Census Bureau estimates. This population figure is used to calculate the per capita federal spending of $11,718.

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 →