PlainSpending

Colorado Federal Spending

$12,155 per resident in FY2025 - low intensity (rank #42).

$70.2B total · $12,155 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #27 total, #42 per capita · 22.3% below national avg

In FY2025, Colorado received $70.2B in federal spending - $12,155 per capita, ranking #42 among 57 states and 22.3% below the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 41.4% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Colorado · FY2025

Colorado received $70.2B in federal spending in FY2025 - $12,155 per resident, 22.3% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$70.2B
#27 of 57 states
Per resident
$12,155
#42 per capita
Latest annual change
+$6.7B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+10.5%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$24.6B

Low per-resident intensity

Colorado ranks #41 of 56 by per-capita spending ($12,155) - a light intensity band.

According to USASpending.gov, Colorado received $70.2B in FY2025 ($12,155 per resident; population 5,773,714). Total rank #27 and per-capita rank #42 (22.3% below the $15,647 national average) show volume vs intensity.

Low per-resident intensity still shows a full award-count mix: 47,532 contracts, 9,888 grants, 11,527 loans, and 51,516 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 41.4% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 47,532 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Colorado, with $24.6B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $14.2B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Colorado has grown 8.8% from $64.5B in FY2020 to $70.2B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 64 counties and top recipient State of Colorado -- Dept of Health Care Policy && Financing at $10.0B, 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) Colorado 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

$70.2B

Rank #27

Per Capita

$12,155

Rank #42

Population

5,773,714

Contract Awards

47,532

Grant Awards

9,888

Total Federal Spending

$70.2B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$12,155

Rank #42

Counties Receiving

64

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$24.6B

Social Security Administration

Colorado award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards41.4%38.2%9.3%8%Direct PaymentsContractsLoansGrantsOther
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.
Colorado per-capita federal spending vs. national average 64.7%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 41.4% of tracked awards in Colorado (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 51,516 awards (41.4%)
Contracts 47,532 awards (38.2%)
Loans 11,527 awards (9.3%)
Grants 9,888 awards (8.0%)
Other 3,901 awards (3.1%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Colorado National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $12,155 $15,647 -22.3%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Colorado

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Colorado during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $24.6B 35.0%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $14.2B 20.2%
3 Department of Defense $9.8B 14.0%
4 Department of Veterans Affairs $6.2B 8.9%
5 Department of Agriculture $4.2B 6.0%
6 Department of Energy $1.8B 2.6%
7 Department of Transportation $1.8B 2.5%
8 Department of Education $1.3B 1.9%
9 National Aeronautics and Space Administration $1.1B 1.5%
10 Department of Housing and Urban Development $1.0B 1.5%

Top Recipients in Colorado

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Colorado.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 State of Colorado -- Dept of Health Care Policy && Financing $10.0B
2 Lockheed Martin CORP $3.1B
3 Sierra Nevada Company, LLC $2.1B
4 Department of Human Services Colorado $2.0B
5 Colorado Department of Transportation $1.1B
6 Alliance for Energy Innovation, LLC $895.0M
7 Board of Education Colorado $789.5M
8 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, INC. $624.0M
9 Davita INC. $532.7M
10 V3GATE, LLC $531.8M
11 Colorado State University $525.3M
12 United Launch Services, LLC $497.0M
13 The Regents of the University of Colorado $407.3M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$6.7B (+10.5%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Colorado increased 8.8% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$55B$60B$65B$70B$75B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $70B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $70.2B $12,155 5,773,714
FY2024 $63.5B $11,001 5,773,714
FY2023 $61.5B $10,652 5,773,714
FY2022 $59.4B $10,285 5,773,714
FY2021 $70.2B $12,158 5,773,714
FY2020 $64.5B $11,173 5,773,714

Counties in Colorado

64 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 El Paso County $9.3B $12,676 730,395
2 Denver County $7.6B $10,593 715,522
3 Jefferson County $6.3B $10,803 582,910
4 Douglas County $5.2B $14,587 357,978
5 Adams County $4.7B $9,121 519,572
6 Arapahoe County $4.4B $6,663 655,070
7 Boulder County $3.2B $9,749 330,758
8 Larimer County $3.1B $8,602 359,066
9 Weld County $1.9B $5,741 328,981
10 Pueblo County $1.5B $9,023 168,162
11 Mesa County $1.3B $8,336 155,703
12 La Plata County $466.2M $8,380 55,638
13 Broomfield County $408.5M $5,512 74,112
14 Fremont County $378.2M $7,727 48,939
15 Montrose County $355.0M $8,319 42,679
16 Garfield County $311.6M $5,051 61,685
17 Delta County $279.5M $8,959 31,196
18 Montezuma County $251.0M $9,709 25,849
19 Eagle County $242.9M $4,358 55,731
20 Teller County $228.7M $9,257 24,710
21 Routt County $199.6M $8,041 24,829
22 Grand County $190.3M $12,110 15,717
23 Elbert County $181.3M $6,958 26,062
24 Las Animas County $168.7M $11,593 14,555
25 Clear Creek County $166.2M $17,689 9,397
26 Chaffee County $160.7M $8,249 19,476
27 Morgan County $159.7M $5,487 29,111
28 Logan County $158.3M $7,351 21,528
29 Park County $144.6M $8,314 17,390
30 Archuleta County $137.6M $10,297 13,359
31 Otero County $135.7M $7,258 18,690
32 Alamosa County $134.3M $8,199 16,376
33 Summit County $127.6M $4,110 31,055
34 Moffat County $105.0M $7,896 13,292
35 Rio Grande County $100.9M $8,741 11,539
36 Prowers County $96.5M $8,040 11,999
37 Pitkin County $94.5M $5,442 17,358
38 Yuma County $92.9M $9,304 9,988
39 Gunnison County $90.4M $5,344 16,918
40 Huerfano County $79.5M $11,650 6,820
41 Kit Carson County $76.0M $10,727 7,087
42 Custer County $64.6M $13,730 4,704
43 Ouray County $60.3M $12,376 4,874
44 Washington County $51.4M $10,672 4,817
45 Phillips County $51.3M $11,318 4,530
46 Bent County $51.0M $9,023 5,650
47 Conejos County $50.8M $6,804 7,461
48 Rio Blanco County $50.3M $7,706 6,529
49 Lake County $45.4M $6,104 7,436
50 San Miguel County $44.6M $5,530 8,072
51 Saguache County $42.9M $6,743 6,368
52 Baca County $42.7M $12,169 3,506
53 Lincoln County $39.6M $6,985 5,675
54 Costilla County $38.3M $10,959 3,499
55 Gilpin County $36.1M $6,224 5,808
56 San Juan County $27.9M $39,580 705
57 Mineral County $24.2M $27,994 865
58 Crowley County $24.0M $4,048 5,922
59 Sedgwick County $23.2M $9,665 2,404
60 Kiowa County $23.2M $16,023 1,446
61 Cheyenne County $22.7M $13,008 1,748
62 Dolores County $17.6M $7,572 2,326
63 Jackson County $8.0M $5,823 1,379
64 Hinsdale County $6.7M $8,523 788
DOGE impact for Colorado → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Colorado's $12,155.

Wyoming

$12,119 per capita

$7.0B total

California

$12,283 per capita

$485.6B total

New Hampshire

$12,356 per capita

$17.0B total

Delaware

$12,366 per capita

$12.2B total

North Carolina

$12,400 per capita

$129.4B total

Compare Colorado to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($70.2B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Colorado rank nationally in federal spending?

Colorado ranks #42 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($12,155 - a light band) and #27 on absolute volume ($70.2B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Colorado?

The top federal agency spending in Colorado is Social Security Administration with $24.6B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($14.2B) and Department of Defense ($9.8B).

How much federal spending did Colorado receive in FY2025?

Colorado received $70.2B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $12,155 per capita for the state's population of 5,773,714.

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

Colorado's $12,155 runs 22.3% below the $15,647 national average (rank #42 of 57).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Colorado?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 51,516 awards (41.4% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 47,532 awards.

How many counties in Colorado receive federal spending?

64 counties in Colorado receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is El Paso County with $9.3B.

How has federal spending in Colorado changed over time?

Federal spending in Colorado increased by 8.8% from FY2020 ($64.5B) to FY2025 ($70.2B).

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

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