PlainSpending

Thurston County

$3.5B in FY2025 federal spending, $12,033 per capita.

Washington · FIPS 53067

In FY2025, Thurston County in Washington received $3.5B in federal spending - $12,033 per capita for a population of 294,793. This is 23.1% below the national average and 3.6% above the Washington average. The leading federal agency by spending share is Social Security Administration. By per-capita federal spending, it ranks #9 of 39 Washington counties.

Total spending
$3.5B
Per capita
$12,033
vs. national avg
-23.1%
Fiscal year
FY2025

The verdict

Thurston County posts top-quartile federal per-capita spending nationally, with spending led by Social Security Administration, among several agencies.

National per-capita rank
Top 14%
of 3,232 US counties
Per-capita spending
$12,033
Leading agency
Social Security Administration
40.6% of tracked spending
Washington rank
#9 of 39

How Thurston County Compares

Per-capita federal spending: Thurston County vs. Washington and the nation

Top 14% nationally
Thurston County$12,033Washington avg$11,619National avg$15,647

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

Population: 294,793 (U.S. Census Bureau estimate) - the denominator behind the per-capita figures above.

Leading Federal Agencies in Thurston County

Top awarding agencies in Thurston County, FY2025

Social Security Administration$1.6BDepartment of Commerce$1.4BDepartment of Education$871.7M

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

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 $3.9B (100%) of Thurston County's $3.5B in total tracked federal spending.

All 3 individually-tracked agencies are shown above - Thurston 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 $1.6B 40.6%
Department of Commerce $1.4B 36.9%
Department of Education $871.7M 22.5%

How Thurston County Ranks Nationally

Per-capita federal spending vs. all US counties

All 3,232 US counties, FY2025

$12,033 Top 14% higher than 86% 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

Thurston County Among Washington's Largest Counties

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

The 15 largest-population counties in Washington by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Thurston 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. 0500,0001,000,0001,500,0002,000,0002,500,000 $0$10,000$20,000$30,000 Population Spending per capita ($) Large and spending-intensiveSmall population, outsized spendingLarge population, modest per-residentSmaller footprint both ways
The 15 largest-population counties in Washington by FY2025 federal spending, plotted by population against spending per resident. Bubble size tracks total spending; Thurston County is highlighted.
Read the chart as a table
County Population Per capita Total spending
King County 2,269,675 $9,117 $20.7B
Pierce County 921,130 $7,598 $7.0B
Snohomish County 827,957 $5,959 $4.9B
Spokane County 539,339 $7,955 $4.3B
Clark County 503,311 $6,557 $3.3B
Thurston County (this county) 294,793 $12,033 $3.5B
Kitsap County 275,611 $13,725 $3.8B
Yakima County 256,728 $6,350 $1.6B
Whatcom County 226,847 $7,105 $1.6B
Benton County 206,873 $27,737 $5.7B
Skagit County 129,523 $9,714 $1.3B
Cowlitz County 110,730 $8,563 $948.2M
Grant County 99,123 $7,281 $721.7M
Franklin County 96,749 $4,360 $421.9M
Island County 86,857 $11,572 $1.0B

Nearby Counties With Similar Federal Spending

Counties with per-capita federal spending closest to Thurston County's $12,033 - prioritizing Washington peers first.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Thurston County, Washington receive?
Thurston County received $3.5B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $12,033 per capita for the county's population of 294,793.
How does Thurston County's per capita spending compare to the national average?
Thurston County's per capita federal spending of $12,033 is 23.1% below the national average of $15,647. Compared to the Washington average of $11,619, it is 3.6% above.
What is the population of Thurston County, Washington?
Thurston County has a population of 294,793 according to Census Bureau estimates. This population figure is used to calculate the per capita federal spending of $12,033.
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.