Top Federal Agencies by Spending
111 federal agencies ranked by obligated amount. Combined: $7.23T. Figures come from USAspending.gov, with data from the U.S. Treasury and OMB covering federal spending across all 50 states; see our methodology.
The big picture
Department of Health and Human Services obligated $2.01T, 28% of the $7.23T tracked across 111 agencies. Obligated-vs-authorized ratios vary enormously by agency, from agencies that obligate nearly all of their budget authority in-year to ones with large unobligated balances; see each agency's own page for its actual utilization rate rather than a single fleet-wide average, which a few very large, atypical budget-authority agencies can skew.
- Top agency
- HHS
- $2.01T
- Top agency share
- 28%
- Overall utilization
- 47.3%
- obligated vs. authorized
- Agencies ranked
- 111
| Rank | Agency | Obligated | Budget Authority | % of Total | Contract Awards | Grant Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | $2.01T | $3.38T | 27.9% | 44,740 | 149,444 |
| 2 | Department of the Treasury (TREAS) | $1.47T | $4.71T | 20.3% | 12,562 | 2,202 |
| 3 | Social Security Administration (SSA) | $1.21T | $1.27T | 16.8% | 4,158 | 240 |
| 4 | Department of Defense (DOD) | $1.08T | $2.10T | 15.0% | 4,124,997 | 15,614 |
| 5 | Department of Homeland Security (DHS) | $310.7B | $575.9B | 4.3% | 41,194 | 6,467 |
| 6 | Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | $298.5B | $524.2B | 4.1% | 97,390 | 2,065 |
| 7 | Department of Agriculture (USDA) | $168.3B | $476.7B | 2.3% | 48,294 | 35,418 |
| 8 | Office of Personnel Management (OPM) | $146.6B | $384.4B | 2.0% | 316 | 0 |
| 9 | Department of Transportation (DOT) | $85.2B | $302.5B | 1.2% | 18,658 | 119,254 |
| 10 | Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) | $69.7B | $332.9B | 1.0% | 1,280 | 42,057 |
| 11 | Department of Education (ED) | $61.4B | $154.1B | 0.9% | 1,285 | 19,635 |
| 12 | Department of Energy (DOE) | $53.5B | $138.0B | 0.7% | 6,692 | 10,491 |
| 13 | Department of Labor (DOL) | $45.5B | $80.1B | 0.6% | 2,002 | 6,220 |
| 14 | Department of Justice (DOJ) | $37.8B | $87.7B | 0.5% | 59,156 | 10,467 |
| 15 | Corps of Engineers - Civil Works (USACE) | $27.1B | $76.0B | 0.4% | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | General Services Administration (GSA) | $26.9B | $52.4B | 0.4% | 1,296,315 | 0 |
| 17 | Department of the Interior (DOI) | $22.7B | $89.9B | 0.3% | 32,184 | 25,287 |
| 18 | Department of State (DOS) | $21.6B | $94.0B | 0.3% | 42,926 | 9,074 |
| 19 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | $15.3B | $43.5B | 0.2% | 10,649 | 8,581 |
| 20 | Department of Commerce (DOC) | $11.1B | $51.0B | 0.2% | 11,531 | 4,900 |
| 21 | Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | $9.4B | $55.9B | 0.1% | 7,035 | 7,386 |
| 22 | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) | $8.5B | $91.1B | 0.1% | 322 | 0 |
| 23 | Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | $6.7B | $-9.1B | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Agency for International Development (USAID) | $6.3B | $16.7B | 0.1% | 4,173 | 1,396 |
| 25 | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) | $4.0B | $142.7B | 0.1% | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | National Science Foundation (NSF) | $2.1B | $10.1B | 0.0% | 625 | 22,278 |
| 27 | Small Business Administration (SBA) | $1.3B | $20.3B | 0.0% | 737 | 722 |
| 28 | Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) | $1.3B | $3.3B | 0.0% | 1,071 | 0 |
| 29 | Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund (PCORTF) | $720.1M | $1.3B | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) | $692.4M | $2.7B | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Government Accountability Office (GAO) | $594.9M | $983.7M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) | $581.9M | $1.3B | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Executive Office of the President (EOP) | $467.6M | $1.5B | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) | $451.6M | $872.3M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) | $379.5M | $918.2M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) | $335.2M | $9.1B | 0.0% | 390 | 8 |
| 37 | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) | $297.5M | $855.1M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Peace Corps (PC) | $295.6M | $488.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) | $273.3M | $468.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Federal Trade Commission (FTC) | $254.6M | $456.2M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | Presidio Trust (PRESIDIO) | $253.8M | $548.3M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | District of Columbia Courts (DC COURTS) | $231.8M | $412.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation (FCSIC) | $229.7M | $9.0B | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) | $202.2M | $1.5B | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 45 | Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) | $189.7M | $306.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 46 | National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) | $174.0M | $305.0M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) | $160.6M | $384.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 48 | National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | $154.0M | $444.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) | $153.2M | $2.9B | 0.0% | 405 | 30 |
| 50 | American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) | $114.0M | $256.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 51 | Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) | $87.8M | $168.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) | $85.9M | $262.9M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 53 | National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) | $84.8M | $170.0M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) | $82.6M | $392.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) | $82.5M | $284.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 56 | International Trade Commission (USITC) | $79.5M | $126.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | Delta Regional Authority (DRA) | $70.6M | $101.9M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 58 | Election Assistance Commission (EAC) | $57.8M | $75.7M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) | $47.4M | $227.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 60 | Federal Election Commission (FEC) | $46.4M | $87.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 61 | Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) | $43.0M | $222.9M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 62 | Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (GCERC) | $38.8M | $221.7M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 63 | Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) | $32.9M | $60.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 64 | United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) | $32.5M | $133.2M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 65 | Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) | $24.7M | $51.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 66 | Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) | $24.4M | $228.8M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 67 | Surface Transportation Board (STB) | $23.7M | $48.3M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 68 | Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) | $21.2M | $46.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 69 | Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) | $19.5M | $79.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 70 | Office of Special Counsel (OSC) | $19.3M | $32.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 71 | Selective Service System (SSS) | $19.1M | $38.1M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 72 | Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) | $15.4M | $30.1M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 73 | Office of Government Ethics (OGE) | $14.6M | $30.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 74 | Denali Commission (DENALI) | $11.9M | $216.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 75 | Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) | $10.6M | $18.0M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 76 | Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) | $10.6M | $25.3M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 77 | National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) | $10.0M | $14.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 78 | Inter-American Foundation (IAF) | $9.9M | $56.9M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 79 | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) | $9.1M | $18.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 80 | Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) | $8.6M | $17.0M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 81 | National Mediation Board (NMB) | $8.0M | $19.7M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 82 | Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (UDALL) | $8.0M | $29.1M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 83 | Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) | $7.9M | $19.7M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 84 | United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) | $7.5M | $19.8M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 85 | Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (ABILITYONE) | $7.1M | $17.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 86 | African Development Foundation (USADF) | $5.9M | $34.3M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 87 | Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) | $5.8M | $14.2M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 88 | Access Board (USAB) | $4.8M | $13.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 89 | Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation (TRUMAN) | $4.4M | $32.6M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) | $2.7M | $5.7M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 91 | Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB) | $2.7M | $13.0M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) | $2.2M | $5.9M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 93 | Administrative Conference of the U.S. (ACUS) | $2.2M | $3.5M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 94 | James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation (MADISON) | $1.7M | $37.1M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 95 | Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence In Education Foundation (GOLDWATER) | $625.5K | $41.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 96 | National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) | $45.0K | $20.4M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 97 | John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (KENNEDY CENTER) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 98 | Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation (ONHIR) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 99 | U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 100 | Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 101 | Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) | $0 | $19.3M | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 102 | Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 103 | Japan-United States Friendship Commission (JUSFC) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 104 | Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 105 | Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 106 | National Council on Disability (NCD) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 107 | Vietnam Education Foundation (VEF) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 108 | Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad (HERITAGEABROAD) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 109 | 400 Years of African-American History Commission (AAHC) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 110 | Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| 111 | Southwest Border Regional Commission (SBRC) | $0 | $0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
Methodology
Agency rankings come from USASpending.gov (U.S. Treasury) obligated-amount data. Budget-authority figures are cross-checked against OMB Program and Financial Schedules. Fiscal year runs Oct 1 – Sep 30. Read the full methodology →
Every figure on PlainSpending is computed directly from USASpending.gov award-transaction data, no number is typed in by an editor. This ranking sorts federal agencies by total obligated spending, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.