Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about federal spending data, award types, and how to use PlainSpending.
Where does PlainSpending get its data?
All data comes from USASpending.gov, maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the DATA Act of 2014. USASpending.gov is the official source for federal award spending information, contracts, grants, loans, and direct payments.
What is 'obligated amount'?
Obligated amount is the money a federal agency has legally committed to spend. This differs from budget authority (what Congress authorized) and actual outlays (what was actually paid out). Obligated amounts are the primary metric throughout PlainSpending.
What is a federal fiscal year?
The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30. FY2025 covers October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025. This is different from the calendar year and explains why federal spending data is labeled with fiscal year designations.
What is the difference between contracts and grants?
Contracts are agreements where the government purchases goods or services from the private sector, the government gets something in return. Grants are financial assistance given to organizations (states, nonprofits, municipalities) for specific public purposes, the government does not receive goods or services in return.
Why does per capita spending vary so much by state?
Federal spending is not distributed evenly. States with large military bases receive more defense contracts. States with older populations receive more Medicare and Social Security payments. States with higher federal land ownership receive more grants. Per capita figures help normalize for population size but do not explain the underlying reasons for variation.
Why is some county-level data missing?
Not all federal awards specify a precise place of performance at the county level. Some awards are attributed only to the state. This is an inherent limitation of USASpending.gov reporting, not a PlainSpending issue.
What is direct payments spending?
Direct payments are federal funds paid directly to individuals or entities, including Social Security benefits, Medicare payments, veterans' benefits, farm subsidies, and similar programs. This category is often the largest component of total federal spending in most states.
How current is the data?
We update our database periodically as USASpending.gov publishes new fiscal year reports. The current data covers through the most recently available complete fiscal year.
Every figure on PlainSpending is computed directly from USASpending.gov award-transaction data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page answers common questions about the site and contains no computed spending figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.