Federal Spending Guides
Understand how the federal government spends taxpayer money — and how to interpret the data.
Understanding Federal Spending
What USASpending.gov tracks — contracts, grants, loans, and direct payments — and how federal money flows from agencies to recipients across the country.
How Federal Contracts Are Awarded
The federal procurement process, contract types, competitive vs. sole-source awards, small business set-asides, and how to find contract data on PlainSpending.
Why Federal Spending Varies by State
Why some states receive far more federal dollars than others — the role of military bases, federal labs, population size, and per capita analysis.
Where Does Federal Money Go?
A plain-language breakdown of the federal budget: mandatory vs. discretionary spending, top agencies, biggest programs, and per-capita spending by state.
How Government Contracts Are Awarded
The federal procurement process step by step: contract types, competitive vs. sole-source awards, small business set-asides, and top contract-receiving states in FY2024.
Methodology
Guides are written by the PlainSpending Editorial team and grounded in official data from USASpending.gov (U.S. Treasury), with budget context from the Office of Management and Budget. Content is compiled by our editorial team and reviewed before publication. Read the full methodology →