Total Federal Spending
$36.5B
FY2025 obligations
Iowa Federal Spending
$36.5B in FY2025 federal spending, $11,432 per capita.
$36.5B total · $11,432 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #36 total, #48 per capita · 26.9% below national avg
In FY2025, Iowa received $36.5B in federal spending - $11,432 per capita, ranking #48 among 57 states and 26.9% below the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 83.6% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.
Iowa · FY2025
Iowa received $36.5B in federal spending in FY2025 - $11,432 per resident, 26.9% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.
- Total federal spending
- $36.5B
- #36 of 57 states
- Per resident
- $11,432
- #48 per capita
- Counties receiving funds
- 99
- place of performance
- Top agency
- Social Security Administration
- $16.6B
According to USASpending.gov, the official federal award-transaction dataset, the federal government directed $36.5B to Iowa in FY2025, translating to $11,432 per resident across a population of 3,190,369. That per-capita figure is 26.9% below the $15,647 national average and ranks Iowa #48 of 57 states per capita, while total-dollar rank is #36, illustrating the difference between volume of federal dollars and intensity of federal dependence.
The award-type mix shows how federal awards break down in Iowa by count: 20,757 contracts, 5,662 grants, 7,885 loans, and 201,954 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 83.6% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 20,757 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Iowa, with $16.6B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $8.1B.
Over the available history, federal spending in Iowa has grown 1.3% from $36.0B in FY2020 to $36.5B in FY2025. Combined with 99 counties receiving dollars and top recipient IA Department of Human Services at $8.0B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Iowa'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) Iowa 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
$36.5B
Rank #36
Per Capita
$11,432
Rank #48
Population
3,190,369
Contract Awards
20,757
Grant Awards
5,662
Per Capita
$11,432
Rank #48
Counties Receiving
99
federal dollars
Top Agency Share
$16.6B
Social Security Administration
Iowa award-type mix by count (FY2025)
Iowa per-capita federal spending vs. national average 60.9%
National average
Compared against the national average of $15,647 per resident.
Awards by Type
Direct Payments is the most common award type at 83.6% of tracked awards in Iowa (by count, not dollar value).
Direct Payments 201,954 awards (83.6%)
Contracts 20,757 awards (8.6%)
Loans 7,885 awards (3.3%)
Grants 5,662 awards (2.3%)
Other 5,349 awards (2.2%)
Comparison to National Average
| Metric | Iowa | National Avg | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per Capita Spending | $11,432 | $15,647 | -26.9% |
| Contracts Share | 0.0% | - | - |
| Grants Share | 0.0% | - | - |
Top Federal Agencies in Iowa
Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Iowa during FY2025.
| # | Agency | Spending | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Security Administration | $16.6B | 45.6% |
| 2 | Department of Health and Human Services | $8.1B | 22.2% |
| 3 | Department of Defense | $2.9B | 8.1% |
| 4 | Department of Agriculture | $2.6B | 7.1% |
| 5 | Department of Veterans Affairs | $1.6B | 4.3% |
| 6 | Department of Transportation | $1.3B | 3.6% |
| 7 | Department of Education | $718.9M | 2.0% |
| 8 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | $519.5M | 1.4% |
| 9 | Department of Commerce | $423.4M | 1.2% |
| 10 | Department of Homeland Security | $334.4M | 0.9% |
| 11 | Department of Energy | $315.7M | 0.9% |
| 12 | Federal Communications Commission | $273.9M | 0.8% |
Top Recipients in Iowa
Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Iowa.
| # | Recipient | Total Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | IA Department of Human Services | $8.0B |
| 2 | Iowa Department of Transportation | $1.0B |
| 3 | Msm Group North America INC. | $635.2M |
| 4 | Department of Education Iowa | $541.3M |
| 5 | Iowa Department Management | $418.4M |
| 6 | Data Link Solutions LLC | $394.4M |
| 7 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | $328.4M |
| 8 | Economic Development Authority Iowa | $308.5M |
| 9 | The University of Iowa | $282.3M |
| 10 | Iowa State University of Science and Technology | $281.6M |
| 11 | Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department | $272.7M |
| 12 | Rockwell Collins, INC. | $259.9M |
| 13 | American Ordnance LLC | $232.7M |
| 14 | Iowa Department of Public Health | $170.5M |
| 15 | Bae Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration INC. | $122.8M |
Spending Trends
Federal spending in Iowa increased 1.3% from FY2020 to FY2025.
| Fiscal Year | Total Spending | Per Capita | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $36.5B | $11,432 | 3,190,369 |
| FY2024 | $32.3B | $10,138 | 3,190,369 |
| FY2023 | $30.9B | $9,683 | 3,190,369 |
| FY2022 | $30.5B | $9,561 | 3,190,369 |
| FY2021 | $37.9B | $11,868 | 3,190,369 |
| FY2020 | $36.0B | $11,286 | 3,190,369 |
Counties in Iowa
99 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.
| # | County | Total Spending | Per Capita | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk County | $4.3B | $8,689 | 492,401 |
| 2 | Linn County | $3.3B | $14,286 | 230,299 |
| 3 | Des Moines County | $1.3B | $32,702 | 38,910 |
| 4 | Scott County | $1.1B | $6,475 | 174,669 |
| 5 | Johnson County | $1.1B | $7,353 | 152,854 |
| 6 | Black Hawk County | $922.6M | $7,035 | 131,144 |
| 7 | Story County | $812.5M | $8,246 | 98,537 |
| 8 | Dubuque County | $780.4M | $7,862 | 99,266 |
| 9 | Woodbury County | $706.3M | $6,667 | 105,941 |
| 10 | Pottawattamie County | $672.3M | $7,177 | 93,667 |
| 11 | Dallas County | $502.9M | $5,045 | 99,678 |
| 12 | Cerro Gordo County | $374.1M | $8,675 | 43,127 |
| 13 | Clinton County | $366.3M | $7,884 | 46,460 |
| 14 | Warren County | $342.5M | $6,537 | 52,403 |
| 15 | Muscatine County | $305.3M | $7,062 | 43,235 |
| 16 | Webster County | $291.7M | $7,884 | 36,999 |
| 17 | Marshall County | $282.0M | $7,031 | 40,105 |
| 18 | Sioux County | $275.2M | $7,672 | 35,872 |
| 19 | Lee County | $269.9M | $8,044 | 33,555 |
| 20 | Jasper County | $259.0M | $6,849 | 37,813 |
| 21 | Plymouth County | $256.7M | $9,987 | 25,698 |
| 22 | Wapello County | $249.3M | $7,034 | 35,437 |
| 23 | Marion County | $234.0M | $7,002 | 33,414 |
| 24 | Bremer County | $211.7M | $8,474 | 24,988 |
| 25 | Benton County | $208.7M | $8,160 | 25,575 |
| 26 | Boone County | $198.2M | $7,417 | 26,715 |
| 27 | Dickinson County | $179.5M | $10,142 | 17,703 |
| 28 | Fayette County | $174.9M | $8,967 | 19,509 |
| 29 | Carroll County | $171.1M | $8,240 | 20,760 |
| 30 | Buchanan County | $166.6M | $8,100 | 20,565 |
| 31 | Winneshiek County | $164.2M | $8,184 | 20,070 |
| 32 | Mahaska County | $160.0M | $7,211 | 22,190 |
| 33 | Washington County | $157.8M | $6,992 | 22,565 |
| 34 | Poweshiek County | $155.8M | $8,350 | 18,662 |
| 35 | Jones County | $150.2M | $7,276 | 20,646 |
| 36 | Cedar County | $149.9M | $8,098 | 18,505 |
| 37 | Hancock County | $149.3M | $13,829 | 10,795 |
| 38 | Kossuth County | $148.0M | $9,984 | 14,828 |
| 39 | Clayton County | $143.0M | $8,390 | 17,043 |
| 40 | Clay County | $142.6M | $8,705 | 16,384 |
| 41 | Jackson County | $142.4M | $7,310 | 19,485 |
| 42 | Tama County | $142.2M | $8,297 | 17,135 |
| 43 | Crawford County | $140.7M | $8,512 | 16,525 |
| 44 | Henry County | $132.9M | $6,488 | 20,482 |
| 45 | Delaware County | $132.2M | $7,562 | 17,488 |
| 46 | Harrison County | $131.1M | $8,992 | 14,582 |
| 47 | Buena Vista County | $130.8M | $6,283 | 20,823 |
| 48 | Hardin County | $126.4M | $7,491 | 16,878 |
| 49 | Jefferson County | $126.2M | $8,055 | 15,663 |
| 50 | Butler County | $125.5M | $8,754 | 14,334 |
| 51 | Floyd County | $120.3M | $7,700 | 15,627 |
| 52 | Iowa County | $120.2M | $7,214 | 16,662 |
| 53 | Shelby County | $118.3M | $10,075 | 11,746 |
| 54 | Mills County | $117.4M | $8,106 | 14,484 |
| 55 | Cherokee County | $116.0M | $9,951 | 11,658 |
| 56 | Madison County | $112.8M | $6,816 | 16,548 |
| 57 | Page County | $111.0M | $7,299 | 15,211 |
| 58 | Allamakee County | $110.7M | $7,874 | 14,061 |
| 59 | Hamilton County | $105.9M | $7,044 | 15,039 |
| 60 | Union County | $104.9M | $8,638 | 12,138 |
| 61 | Chickasaw County | $102.7M | $8,546 | 12,012 |
| 62 | Cass County | $100.9M | $7,683 | 13,127 |
| 63 | Wright County | $100.6M | $7,776 | 12,943 |
| 64 | Guthrie County | $99.7M | $9,387 | 10,623 |
| 65 | Grundy County | $99.4M | $8,060 | 12,329 |
| 66 | Mitchell County | $98.4M | $9,313 | 10,565 |
| 67 | O'Brien County | $98.0M | $6,911 | 14,182 |
| 68 | Franklin County | $96.6M | $9,637 | 10,019 |
| 69 | Sac County | $95.0M | $9,676 | 9,814 |
| 70 | Appanoose County | $91.6M | $7,434 | 12,317 |
| 71 | Winnebago County | $89.7M | $8,403 | 10,679 |
| 72 | Lyon County | $86.6M | $7,260 | 11,934 |
| 73 | Palo Alto County | $86.0M | $9,555 | 8,996 |
| 74 | Monona County | $84.1M | $9,615 | 8,751 |
| 75 | Louisa County | $81.3M | $7,501 | 10,837 |
| 76 | Howard County | $79.4M | $8,388 | 9,469 |
| 77 | Montgomery County | $78.5M | $7,603 | 10,330 |
| 78 | Emmet County | $78.3M | $8,342 | 9,388 |
| 79 | Clarke County | $77.6M | $7,963 | 9,748 |
| 80 | Greene County | $76.8M | $8,753 | 8,771 |
| 81 | Humboldt County | $76.2M | $7,938 | 9,597 |
| 82 | Calhoun County | $76.1M | $7,668 | 9,927 |
| 83 | Keokuk County | $75.9M | $7,569 | 10,033 |
| 84 | Fremont County | $71.3M | $10,800 | 6,605 |
| 85 | Pocahontas County | $66.9M | $9,456 | 7,078 |
| 86 | Adair County | $63.1M | $8,412 | 7,496 |
| 87 | Audubon County | $61.4M | $10,827 | 5,674 |
| 88 | Monroe County | $61.3M | $8,093 | 7,577 |
| 89 | Lucas County | $60.5M | $7,006 | 8,634 |
| 90 | Van Buren County | $59.1M | $8,207 | 7,203 |
| 91 | Worth County | $59.1M | $7,938 | 7,443 |
| 92 | Decatur County | $57.7M | $7,552 | 7,645 |
| 93 | Taylor County | $57.4M | $9,729 | 5,896 |
| 94 | Ida County | $55.6M | $7,935 | 7,005 |
| 95 | Davis County | $54.3M | $5,956 | 9,110 |
| 96 | Osceola County | $52.9M | $8,549 | 6,192 |
| 97 | Wayne County | $50.1M | $7,704 | 6,497 |
| 98 | Ringgold County | $37.5M | $8,034 | 4,663 |
| 99 | Adams County | $34.9M | $9,428 | 3,704 |
Explore Iowa Federal Spending
Go deeper on Iowa's federal footprint.
DOGE Impact for Iowa
Reported federal contract and grant terminations, claimed savings, per-capita impact, and state ranking.
DOGE state impact →
Per-Capita Rankings
Where Iowa 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 Iowa's $11,432.
What this means
Iowa ranks #48 of 57 states by FY2025 per-capita federal spending.
- Per-capita spending is 26.9% 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 45.6% of every dollar tracked in Iowa. Agency rankings
- 99 counties in Iowa 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 Iowa receive in FY2025?
Iowa received $36.5B in total federal spending during Fiscal Year 2025. This equates to $11,432 per capita for the state's population of 3,190,369.
How does Iowa's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?
Iowa's per capita federal spending of $11,432 is 26.9% below the national average of $15,647. Iowa ranks #48 out of 57 states by per capita spending.
What is the largest category of federal spending in Iowa?
The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 201,954 awards (83.6% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 20,757 awards.
Which federal agencies spend the most in Iowa?
The top federal agency spending in Iowa is Social Security Administration with $16.6B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($8.1B) and Department of Defense ($2.9B).
How many counties in Iowa receive federal spending?
99 counties in Iowa receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Polk County with $4.3B.
How has federal spending in Iowa changed over time?
Federal spending in Iowa increased by 1.3% from FY2020 ($36.0B) to FY2025 ($36.5B).
Where does Iowa rank nationally in federal spending?
Iowa ranks #36 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #48 in per capita spending. The state received $36.5B total ($11,432 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.