Total Federal Spending
$71.6B
FY2025 obligations
Alabama Federal Spending
$71.6B in FY2025 federal spending, $14,242 per capita.
$71.6B total · $14,242 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #26 total, #24 per capita · 9.0% below national avg
In FY2025, Alabama received $71.6B in federal spending - $14,242 per capita, ranking #24 among 57 states and 9.0% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 53.2% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.
Alabama · FY2025
Alabama received $71.6B in federal spending in FY2025 - $14,242 per resident, 9.0% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.
- Total federal spending
- $71.6B
- #26 of 57 states
- Per resident
- $14,242
- #24 per capita
- Counties receiving funds
- 67
- place of performance
- Top agency
- Social Security Administration
- $27.5B
According to USASpending.gov, the official federal award-transaction dataset, the federal government directed $71.6B to Alabama in FY2025, translating to $14,242 per resident across a population of 5,024,279. That per-capita figure is 9.0% below the $15,647 national average and ranks Alabama #24 of 57 states per capita, while total-dollar rank is #26, illustrating the difference between volume of federal dollars and intensity of federal dependence.
The award-type mix shows how federal awards break down in Alabama by count: 77,728 contracts, 8,526 grants, 8,605 loans, and 45,859 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 53.2% of tracked awards in the state, with direct payments a distant second at 45,859 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Alabama, with $27.5B in obligations - more than Department of Defense's $14.2B.
Over the available history, federal spending in Alabama has grown 12.8% from $63.5B in FY2020 to $71.6B in FY2025. Combined with 67 counties receiving dollars and top recipient Alabama Medicaid Agency at $6.6B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Alabama's federal footprint is expanding, stable, or being scaled back relative to FY2025.
It helps to read state totals through two different lenses. Total dollars measure the raw volume of federal money flowing into a state, which naturally favors larger and more populous states. Per-capita spending measures intensity, how much federal money lands per resident, and it surfaces smaller states whose economies lean heavily on federal installations, contracts, or transfer payments. The two rankings often disagree, which is exactly why both appear above. The award mix matters too: contracts signal procurement of goods and services, grants flow to universities, nonprofits, and local governments, and direct payments include programs such as Social Security and Medicare that scale with population. Every figure comes from USASpending.gov, the federal spending-transparency system the U.S. Treasury has operated since the DATA Act of 2014. Federal outlays exceeded $7.0 trillion in fiscal year 2025 (CBO Monthly Budget Review), and these are official government records rather than estimates, though late-posted and corrected awards can adjust a state's totals after the year closes. Our methodology details the per-capita denominator, the award categories, and the data vintage.
Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) + System for Award Management (SAM) Alabama federal awards (contracts, grants, loans, direct payments) for FY2025 · 2025 USAspending.gov publishes award-level data within ~30 days of obligation; categories follow OMB Object Class Codes. Per-capita metrics use Census ACS population estimates as the denominator.
Key Statistics
Total Spending
$71.6B
Rank #26
Per Capita
$14,242
Rank #24
Population
5,024,279
Contract Awards
77,728
Grant Awards
8,526
Per Capita
$14,242
Rank #24
Counties Receiving
67
federal dollars
Top Agency Share
$27.5B
Social Security Administration
Alabama award-type mix by count (FY2025)
Alabama per-capita federal spending vs. national average 75.8%
National average
Compared against the national average of $15,647 per resident.
Awards by Type
Contracts is the most common award type at 53.2% of tracked awards in Alabama (by count, not dollar value).
Contracts 77,728 awards (53.2%)
Direct Payments 45,859 awards (31.4%)
Loans 8,605 awards (5.9%)
Grants 8,526 awards (5.8%)
Other 5,377 awards (3.7%)
Comparison to National Average
| Metric | Alabama | National Avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Capita Spending | $14,242 | $15,647 | -9.0% |
| Contracts Share | 0.0% | - | - |
| Grants Share | 0.0% | - | - |
Top Federal Agencies in Alabama
Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Alabama during FY2025.
| # | Agency | Spending | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Security Administration | $27.5B | 38.4% |
| 2 | Department of Defense | $14.2B | 19.8% |
| 3 | Department of Health and Human Services | $10.8B | 15.0% |
| 4 | Department of Veterans Affairs | $5.3B | 7.5% |
| 5 | Department of Agriculture | $2.8B | 3.9% |
| 6 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $1.9B | 2.7% |
| 7 | Department of Transportation | $1.8B | 2.5% |
| 8 | Department of Education | $1.6B | 2.2% |
| 9 | Department of Commerce | $1.5B | 2.1% |
| 10 | Department of Homeland Security | $1.1B | 1.5% |
| 11 | Department of Justice | $1.0B | 1.5% |
| 12 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | $891.3M | 1.2% |
Top Recipients in Alabama
Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Alabama.
| # | Recipient | Total Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama Medicaid Agency | $6.6B |
| 2 | Department of Human Resources Alabama | $2.3B |
| 3 | Economic and Community Affairs, Alabama Department Of | $1.7B |
| 4 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | $1.6B |
| 5 | The Boeing Company | $1.5B |
| 6 | Alabama Department of Transportation | $1.4B |
| 7 | Alabama State Department of Education | $1.2B |
| 8 | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | $891.9M |
| 9 | Austal USA, LLC | $738.0M |
| 10 | Defense Systems and Solutions | $673.1M |
| 11 | Dynetics, INC. | $632.1M |
| 12 | Science Applications International Corporation | $595.4M |
| 13 | Torch Technologies INC | $573.5M |
| 14 | Brasfield && Gorrie LLC | $558.5M |
| 15 | M1 Support Services, L.p. | $553.0M |
| 16 | Dell Marketing L.p. | $489.8M |
| 17 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | $432.2M |
Spending Trends
Federal spending in Alabama increased 12.8% from FY2020 to FY2025.
| Fiscal Year | Total Spending | Per Capita | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $71.6B | $14,242 | 5,024,279 |
| FY2024 | $66.4B | $13,219 | 5,024,279 |
| FY2023 | $64.3B | $12,792 | 5,024,279 |
| FY2022 | $60.8B | $12,099 | 5,024,279 |
| FY2021 | $70.3B | $13,983 | 5,024,279 |
| FY2020 | $63.5B | $12,629 | 5,024,279 |
Counties in Alabama
67 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.
| # | County | Total Spending | Per Capita | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison County | $15.6B | $40,217 | 388,153 |
| 2 | Jefferson County | $8.1B | $11,949 | 674,721 |
| 3 | Montgomery County | $5.2B | $22,613 | 228,954 |
| 4 | Mobile County | $4.8B | $11,632 | 414,809 |
| 5 | Baldwin County | $2.2B | $9,605 | 231,767 |
| 6 | Shelby County | $1.6B | $7,116 | 223,024 |
| 7 | Tuscaloosa County | $1.6B | $6,840 | 227,036 |
| 8 | Dale County | $1.4B | $28,656 | 49,326 |
| 9 | Calhoun County | $1.2B | $10,261 | 116,441 |
| 10 | Lee County | $1.2B | $6,646 | 174,241 |
| 11 | Morgan County | $879.5M | $7,126 | 123,421 |
| 12 | Houston County | $832.4M | $7,764 | 107,202 |
| 13 | Etowah County | $805.9M | $7,791 | 103,436 |
| 14 | Limestone County | $792.8M | $7,655 | 103,570 |
| 15 | Lauderdale County | $730.2M | $7,804 | 93,564 |
| 16 | St. Clair County | $720.7M | $7,911 | 91,103 |
| 17 | Talladega County | $693.7M | $8,445 | 82,149 |
| 18 | Elmore County | $663.6M | $7,543 | 87,977 |
| 19 | Marshall County | $638.7M | $6,543 | 97,612 |
| 20 | Cullman County | $629.2M | $7,161 | 87,866 |
| 21 | Colbert County | $584.8M | $10,218 | 57,227 |
| 22 | Russell County | $551.2M | $9,313 | 59,183 |
| 23 | Walker County | $541.7M | $8,290 | 65,342 |
| 24 | Coffee County | $515.1M | $9,635 | 53,465 |
| 25 | Autauga County | $414.4M | $7,047 | 58,805 |
| 26 | Jackson County | $403.5M | $7,674 | 52,579 |
| 27 | Tallapoosa County | $389.2M | $9,422 | 41,311 |
| 28 | Dekalb County | $379.2M | $5,296 | 71,608 |
| 29 | Dallas County | $372.1M | $9,675 | 38,462 |
| 30 | Blount County | $362.9M | $6,136 | 59,134 |
| 31 | Chilton County | $330.1M | $7,332 | 45,014 |
| 32 | Escambia County | $311.9M | $8,484 | 36,757 |
| 33 | Covington County | $297.0M | $7,906 | 37,570 |
| 34 | Chambers County | $273.7M | $7,870 | 34,772 |
| 35 | Pike County | $258.8M | $7,840 | 33,009 |
| 36 | Lawrence County | $231.2M | $6,991 | 33,073 |
| 37 | Marion County | $228.9M | $7,800 | 29,341 |
| 38 | Geneva County | $221.5M | $8,307 | 26,659 |
| 39 | Macon County | $219.0M | $11,215 | 19,532 |
| 40 | Cherokee County | $218.5M | $8,749 | 24,971 |
| 41 | Barbour County | $200.9M | $7,966 | 25,223 |
| 42 | Franklin County | $189.4M | $5,897 | 32,113 |
| 43 | Randolph County | $186.9M | $8,506 | 21,967 |
| 44 | Clarke County | $185.2M | $8,022 | 23,087 |
| 45 | Winston County | $167.8M | $7,128 | 23,540 |
| 46 | Marengo County | $157.8M | $8,167 | 19,323 |
| 47 | Pickens County | $156.9M | $8,204 | 19,123 |
| 48 | Monroe County | $156.8M | $7,930 | 19,772 |
| 49 | Butler County | $155.5M | $8,161 | 19,051 |
| 50 | Bibb County | $151.8M | $6,809 | 22,293 |
| 51 | Henry County | $151.5M | $8,837 | 17,146 |
| 52 | Cleburne County | $138.7M | $9,212 | 15,056 |
| 53 | Washington County | $132.2M | $8,591 | 15,388 |
| 54 | Hale County | $129.8M | $8,781 | 14,785 |
| 55 | Sumter County | $127.5M | $10,324 | 12,345 |
| 56 | Lamar County | $117.3M | $8,392 | 13,972 |
| 57 | Fayette County | $114.2M | $6,994 | 16,321 |
| 58 | Choctaw County | $108.8M | $8,591 | 12,665 |
| 59 | Crenshaw County | $107.5M | $8,151 | 13,194 |
| 60 | Clay County | $104.1M | $7,315 | 14,236 |
| 61 | Conecuh County | $101.1M | $8,719 | 11,597 |
| 62 | Coosa County | $96.5M | $9,292 | 10,387 |
| 63 | Wilcox County | $94.7M | $8,931 | 10,600 |
| 64 | Lowndes County | $94.2M | $9,138 | 10,311 |
| 65 | Greene County | $87.8M | $11,358 | 7,730 |
| 66 | Perry County | $69.9M | $8,215 | 8,511 |
| 67 | Bullock County | $59.8M | $5,775 | 10,357 |
Explore Alabama Federal Spending
Go deeper on Alabama's federal footprint.
DOGE Impact for Alabama
Reported federal contract and grant terminations, claimed savings, per-capita impact, and state ranking.
DOGE state impact →
Per-Capita Rankings
Where Alabama ranks among all states for federal spending per resident.
Top Federal Agencies
The agencies that move the most money nationwide, by obligated amount.
Federal Spending Guides
Learn more about how federal spending works and how to interpret this data.
Understanding Federal Spending
Contracts, grants, loans, and how federal money flows to states and communities.
Why Spending Varies by State
Military bases, federal labs, population, and per capita analysis.
Where Does Federal Money Go?
Mandatory vs. discretionary, top agencies, and biggest programs.
How Federal Contracts Are Awarded
Procurement process, contract types, and small business set-asides.
States With Similar Per Capita Spending
States with per capita federal spending closest to Alabama's $14,242.
What this means
Alabama ranks #24 of 57 states by FY2025 per-capita federal spending.
- Per-capita spending is 9.0% below the national average -- a structural signal, not a claim about efficiency or need. Per-capita rankings
- Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating here, obligating 38.4% of every dollar tracked in Alabama. Agency rankings
- 67 counties in Alabama receive federal dollars -- the county-level pages break down exactly where. See counties
Per-capita and national-average figures use each state's most recent Census population estimate against the same FY total; they describe HOW money is distributed, not whether that distribution is justified.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much federal spending did Alabama receive in FY2025?
Alabama received $71.6B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $14,242 per capita for the state's population of 5,024,279.
How does Alabama's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?
Alabama's per capita federal spending of $14,242 is 9.0% below the national average of $15,647. Alabama ranks #24 out of 57 states by per capita spending.
What is the largest category of federal spending in Alabama?
The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 77,728 awards (53.2% of tracked awards). The second-largest is direct payments at 45,859 awards.
Which federal agencies spend the most in Alabama?
The top federal agency spending in Alabama is Social Security Administration with $27.5B. Followed by Department of Defense ($14.2B) and Department of Health and Human Services ($10.8B).
How many counties in Alabama receive federal spending?
67 counties in Alabama receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Madison County with $15.6B.
How has federal spending in Alabama changed over time?
Federal spending in Alabama increased by 12.8% from FY2020 ($63.5B) to FY2025 ($71.6B).
Where does Alabama rank nationally in federal spending?
Alabama ranks #26 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #24 in per capita spending. The state received $71.6B total ($14,242 per person) in FY2025.
Data Sources
- USASpending.gov: Federal spending data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Fiscal Year: FY2025
- Award types: Contracts, grants, loans, direct payments, and other financial assistance
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau estimates used for per capita calculations
- Budget context: Agency totals cross-referenced with OMB Program and Financial Schedules where applicable
Spending figures represent obligated amounts from federal awards. Per capita calculations use Census population estimates. This information is for research and informational purposes only.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.
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 county-level federal award within the state, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.