PlainSpending

Arkansas Federal Spending

$11,603 per resident in FY2025 - low intensity (rank #47).

$34.9B total · $11,603 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #37 total, #47 per capita · 25.8% below national avg

In FY2025, Arkansas received $34.9B in federal spending - $11,603 per capita, ranking #47 among 57 states and 25.8% below the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 53.8% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Arkansas · FY2025

Arkansas received $34.9B in federal spending in FY2025 - $11,603 per resident, 25.8% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$34.9B
#37 of 57 states
Per resident
$11,603
#47 per capita
Latest annual change
+$3.2B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+10.1%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$16.3B

Low per-resident intensity

Arkansas ranks #46 of 56 by per-capita spending ($11,603) - a light intensity band.

According to USASpending.gov, Arkansas received $34.9B in FY2025 ($11,603 per resident; population 3,011,524). Total rank #37 and per-capita rank #47 (25.8% below the $15,647 national average) show volume vs intensity.

Low per-resident intensity still shows a full award-count mix: 37,497 contracts, 5,055 grants, 8,496 loans, and 68,463 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 53.8% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 37,497 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Arkansas, with $16.3B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $8.5B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Arkansas has grown 3.7% from $33.7B in FY2020 to $34.9B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 75 counties and top recipient Human Services, Arkansas Department Of at $7.2B, the trail shows whether the light intensity is closing the gap.

Figures are award-transaction data from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury). See our methodology for per-capita denominators and award categories.

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) + System for Award Management (SAM) Arkansas 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.

Where this low-intensity state sits

Total Spending

$34.9B

Rank #37

Per Capita

$11,603

Rank #47

Population

3,011,524

Contract Awards

37,497

Grant Awards

5,055

Total Federal Spending

$34.9B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$11,603

Rank #47

Counties Receiving

75

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$16.3B

Social Security Administration

Arkansas award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards53.8%29.5%Direct PaymentsContractsLoansOtherGrants
Per-state share of tracked federal awards BY COUNT across major OMB-aligned award types (not a dollar-value breakdown). Mandatory-vs-discretionary marker reflects the entitlement-vs-appropriated split.
Arkansas per-capita federal spending vs. national average 61.8%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,647 per resident.

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 53.8% of tracked awards in Arkansas (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 68,463 awards (53.8%)
Contracts 37,497 awards (29.5%)
Loans 8,496 awards (6.7%)
Other 7,698 awards (6.1%)
Grants 5,055 awards (4.0%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Arkansas National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $11,603 $15,647 -25.8%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Arkansas

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Arkansas during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $16.3B 46.7%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $8.5B 24.3%
3 Department of Veterans Affairs $2.6B 7.4%
4 Department of Agriculture $1.8B 5.2%
5 Department of Commerce $1.0B 3.0%
6 Department of Transportation $1.0B 2.9%
7 Department of Defense $983.2M 2.8%
8 Department of Education $909.9M 2.6%
9 Department of Energy $370.3M 1.1%
10 Department of Housing and Urban Development $356.0M 1.0%

Top Recipients in Arkansas

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Arkansas.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Human Services, Arkansas Department Of $7.2B
2 Arkansas Economic Development Commission $1.1B
3 Department of Education Arkansas $1.0B
4 Arkansas Department of Transportation $812.3M
5 Arkansas Department of Human Services $666.6M
6 General Dynamics-Ots, INC. $384.8M
7 Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality $185.4M
8 Swa Lithium LLC $125.7M
9 Barnard Construction Company, Incorporated $103.8M
10 Arkansas Division of Emergency Management $103.5M
11 Metroplan $100.0M
12 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences $96.0M
13 University of Arkansas $94.1M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$3.2B (+10.1%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Arkansas increased 3.7% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$30B$32B$34B$36B$38B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $35B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $34.9B $11,603 3,011,524
FY2024 $31.7B $10,543 3,011,524
FY2023 $32.0B $10,636 3,011,524
FY2022 $31.4B $10,431 3,011,524
FY2021 $37.2B $12,358 3,011,524
FY2020 $33.7B $11,185 3,011,524

Counties in Arkansas

75 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Pulaski County $5.5B $13,660 399,125
2 Benton County $1.5B $5,417 284,333
3 Washington County $1.4B $5,609 245,871
4 Garland County $986.8M $9,850 100,180
5 Sebastian County $931.8M $7,291 127,799
6 Saline County $876.6M $7,103 123,416
7 Faulkner County $749.6M $6,069 123,498
8 Craighead County $743.4M $6,684 111,231
9 Jefferson County $597.6M $8,884 67,260
10 White County $557.0M $7,251 76,822
11 Lonoke County $544.1M $7,351 74,015
12 Crawford County $459.5M $7,641 60,133
13 Baxter County $457.9M $11,000 41,627
14 Pope County $456.9M $7,208 63,381
15 Calhoun County $432.5M $91,273 4,739
16 Boone County $341.3M $9,132 37,373
17 Crittenden County $329.1M $6,834 48,163
18 Mississippi County $314.5M $7,730 40,685
19 Greene County $303.4M $6,634 45,736
20 Union County $297.3M $7,614 39,054
21 Miller County $284.3M $6,674 42,600
22 Independence County $262.4M $6,916 37,938
23 Cleburne County $250.8M $10,151 24,711
24 Arkansas County $240.7M $14,037 17,149
25 Hot Spring County $234.4M $7,094 33,040
26 Carroll County $227.5M $8,050 28,260
27 Columbia County $208.5M $9,143 22,801
28 Ouachita County $201.5M $8,896 22,650
29 Johnson County $189.8M $7,370 25,749
30 Lafayette County $187.0M $29,643 6,308
31 Poinsett County $178.2M $7,758 22,965
32 Sharp County $171.1M $9,906 17,271
33 Conway County $170.6M $8,237 20,715
34 Clark County $170.3M $7,942 21,446
35 Polk County $167.4M $8,712 19,221
36 St. Francis County $165.6M $7,170 23,090
37 Marion County $162.1M $9,632 16,826
38 Logan County $161.4M $7,638 21,131
39 Randolph County $158.4M $8,531 18,571
40 Ashley County $155.3M $8,149 19,062
41 Phillips County $151.6M $9,152 16,568
42 Van Buren County $148.1M $9,373 15,796
43 Drew County $147.8M $8,520 17,350
44 Franklin County $145.1M $8,487 17,097
45 Hempstead County $142.3M $7,090 20,065
46 Yell County $139.1M $6,864 20,263
47 Izard County $135.2M $9,956 13,577
48 Grant County $132.9M $7,400 17,958
49 Cross County $130.1M $7,729 16,833
50 Clay County $127.5M $8,764 14,552
51 Madison County $126.7M $7,669 16,521
52 Lawrence County $125.0M $7,707 16,216
53 Stone County $119.0M $9,630 12,359
54 Fulton County $113.0M $9,361 12,075
55 Jackson County $110.5M $6,594 16,755
56 Desha County $105.5M $9,257 11,395
57 Little River County $95.3M $7,925 12,026
58 Woodruff County $93.3M $14,887 6,269
59 Chicot County $92.3M $9,045 10,208
60 Prairie County $85.5M $10,327 8,282
61 Sevier County $85.2M $5,378 15,839
62 Scott County $82.8M $8,417 9,836
63 Howard County $82.2M $6,428 12,785
64 Lee County $82.0M $9,533 8,600
65 Perry County $78.5M $7,831 10,019
66 Monroe County $77.3M $11,368 6,799
67 Lincoln County $74.4M $5,753 12,941
68 Searcy County $73.0M $9,328 7,828
69 Pike County $71.1M $6,993 10,171
70 Montgomery County $70.4M $8,300 8,484
71 Nevada County $68.0M $8,185 8,310
72 Bradley County $65.4M $6,205 10,545
73 Cleveland County $64.4M $8,535 7,550
74 Newton County $61.7M $8,534 7,225
75 Dallas County $53.0M $8,182 6,482
DOGE impact for Arkansas → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Arkansas's $11,603.

Washington

$11,619 per capita

$89.5B total

Puerto Rico

$11,693 per capita

$38.4B total

Iowa

$11,432 per capita

$36.5B total

American Samoa

$11,788 per capita

$586.0M total

Wyoming

$12,119 per capita

$7.0B total

Compare Arkansas to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($34.9B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Arkansas rank nationally in federal spending?

Arkansas ranks #47 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($11,603 - a light band) and #37 on absolute volume ($34.9B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Arkansas?

The top federal agency spending in Arkansas is Social Security Administration with $16.3B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($8.5B) and Department of Veterans Affairs ($2.6B).

How much federal spending did Arkansas receive in FY2025?

Arkansas received $34.9B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $11,603 per capita for the state's population of 3,011,524.

How does Arkansas's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?

Arkansas's $11,603 runs 25.8% below the $15,647 national average (rank #47 of 57).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Arkansas?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 68,463 awards (53.8% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 37,497 awards.

How many counties in Arkansas receive federal spending?

75 counties in Arkansas receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Pulaski County with $5.5B.

How has federal spending in Arkansas changed over time?

Federal spending in Arkansas increased by 3.7% from FY2020 ($33.7B) to FY2025 ($34.9B).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.

Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →