PlainSpending

Kentucky Federal Spending

$173.3B in FY2025 (+146.2% vs national per-capita average).

$173.3B total · $38,460 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #9 total, #6 per capita · 146.2% above national avg

In FY2025, Kentucky received $173.3B in federal spending - $38,460 per capita, ranking #6 among 56 states and 146.2% above the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 43.8% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Health and Human Services.

Kentucky · FY2025

Kentucky received $173.3B in federal spending in FY2025 - $38,460 per resident, 146.2% above the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$173.3B
#9 of 56 states
Per resident
$38,460
#6 per capita
Latest annual change
+$10.3B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+6.3%)
Top agency
Dept. of Health and Human Services
$127.3B

Well above national average

Kentucky's $38,460 runs 146.2% above the $15,622 national average.

According to USASpending.gov, the federal government directed a dense absolute book of $173.3B to Kentucky in FY2025 ($38,460 per resident across 4,505,836 people). Total-dollar rank #9 marks a heavy absolute footprint; per-capita rank is #6 (146.2% above the $15,622 national average).

High per-resident intensity shapes the award-count mix: 65,007 contracts, 6,628 grants, 8,162 loans, and 67,579 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 43.8% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 65,007 awards. Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating in Kentucky, with $127.3B in obligations - more than Social Security Administration's $23.5B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Kentucky has grown 38.5% from $125.1B in FY2020 to $173.3B in FY2025 - against an already above-average intensity band. Combined with 120 counties and top recipient Health Services Kentucky Cabinet For at $18.2B, the trail shows whether the heavy intensity is still rising.

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) Kentucky 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.

How far above the national average?

Total Spending

$173.3B

Rank #9

Per Capita

$38,460

Rank #6

Population

4,505,836

Contract Awards

65,007

Grant Awards

6,628

Total Federal Spending

$173.3B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$38,460

Rank #6

Counties Receiving

120

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$127.3B

Department of Health and Human

Kentucky award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards43.8%42.1%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.
Kentucky per-capita federal spending vs. national average 83.3%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,622 per resident.

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 43.8% of tracked awards in Kentucky (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 67,579 awards (43.8%)
Contracts 65,007 awards (42.1%)
Loans 8,162 awards (5.3%)
Other 7,025 awards (4.5%)
Grants 6,628 awards (4.3%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Kentucky National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $38,460 $15,622 +146.2%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Fiscal Resilience Score

A single derived score summarizing how diversified and stable Kentucky's federal funding mix is, built from four signals already in this page.

F
Fiscal Resilience Score
24/100
Kentucky

A transparent derived index from USASpending.gov federal award data, not an official government rating. It measures how diversified and stable Kentucky's federal funding mix is across award types, agencies, and fiscal years, not whether that funding is well or poorly spent. Full formula and benchmark table: methodology.

Award-Type Mix C-
62%
Diversification across contract/grant/loan/direct-payment/other award counts
Agency Mix F
43%
Diversification of obligated dollars across federal agencies operating in-state
Per-Capita Norm F
146% from avg
Distance of per-resident federal spending from the national average
Funding Stability F
10.0% CV
Year-over-year spending volatility across 6 fiscal years

Top Federal Agencies in Kentucky

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Kentucky during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Department of Health and Human Services $127.3B 73.5%
2 Social Security Administration $23.5B 13.6%
3 Department of Defense $9.7B 5.6%
4 Department of Agriculture $3.2B 1.8%
5 Department of Veterans Affairs $2.9B 1.7%
6 Department of Transportation $1.8B 1.0%
7 Department of Education $1.5B 0.9%
8 Department of Housing and Urban Development $804.2M 0.5%
9 Department of Homeland Security $505.3M 0.3%
10 Department of Energy $456.2M 0.3%

Top Recipients in Kentucky

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Kentucky.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Health Services Kentucky Cabinet For $18.2B
2 Humana Government Business INC $6.5B
3 Executive Office of the Commonwealth of Kentucky $1.4B
4 Kentucky Department of Education $1.2B
5 Lockheed Martin Corporation $837.5M
6 East Kentucky Power Cooperative, INC. $671.0M
7 Energy && Environment Cabinet $318.1M
8 Kentucky Department of Military Affairs $317.4M
9 Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, a Joint Venture $289.5M
10 Wieland North America Recycling LLC $270.0M
11 University of Kentucky Research Foundation, The $261.4M
12 Louisville Metro Housing Authority $186.5M
13 Kentucky Infrastructure Authority $170.9M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$10.3B (+6.3%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Kentucky increased 38.5% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$120B$140B$160B$180B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $173B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $173.3B $38,460 4,505,836
FY2024 $163.0B $36,176 4,505,836
FY2023 $159.3B $35,362 4,505,836
FY2022 $150.4B $33,376 4,505,836
FY2021 $144.9B $32,161 4,505,836
FY2020 $125.1B $27,771 4,505,836

Counties in Kentucky

120 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Jefferson County $122.1B $155,985 782,969
2 Fayette County $3.1B $9,646 322,570
3 Franklin County $1.7B $33,394 51,541
4 Hardin County $1.3B $11,800 110,702
5 Kenton County $1.1B $6,476 169,064
6 Madison County $982.6M $10,599 92,701
7 Clark County $898.9M $24,314 36,972
8 Boone County $879.5M $6,469 135,968
9 Warren County $748.7M $5,564 134,554
10 Daviess County $728.4M $7,051 103,312
11 Christian County $617.7M $8,491 72,748
12 Shelby County $593.3M $12,344 48,065
13 Campbell County $592.0M $6,361 93,076
14 Mccracken County $548.8M $8,085 67,875
15 Pulaski County $523.9M $8,056 65,034
16 Bullitt County $510.3M $6,206 82,217
17 Laurel County $493.7M $7,885 62,613
18 Pike County $481.4M $8,206 58,669
19 Whitley County $429.6M $11,702 36,712
20 Henderson County $405.1M $9,045 44,793
21 Boyd County $390.9M $8,099 48,261
22 Oldham County $378.1M $5,593 67,607
23 Floyd County $364.3M $10,135 35,942
24 Hopkins County $349.6M $7,698 45,423
25 Jessamine County $349.5M $6,596 52,991
26 Nelson County $333.0M $7,126 46,738
27 Marshall County $325.9M $10,294 31,659
28 Scott County $308.0M $5,389 57,155
29 Greenup County $295.9M $8,229 35,962
30 Barren County $280.6M $6,308 44,485
31 Calloway County $270.4M $7,287 37,103
32 Boyle County $266.2M $8,696 30,614
33 Graves County $252.7M $6,894 36,649
34 Muhlenberg County $242.6M $7,843 30,928
35 Woodford County $242.1M $9,009 26,871
36 Knox County $231.6M $7,672 30,193
37 Perry County $228.1M $8,010 28,473
38 Letcher County $227.3M $10,547 21,548
39 Harlan County $223.1M $8,315 26,831
40 Carter County $217.3M $8,160 26,627
41 Anderson County $211.7M $8,874 23,852
42 Trigg County $192.7M $13,705 14,061
43 Meade County $187.7M $6,255 30,003
44 Bell County $186.5M $7,738 24,097
45 Grayson County $184.2M $6,972 26,420
46 Ohio County $184.0M $7,742 23,772
47 Mccreary County $182.9M $10,831 16,888
48 Montgomery County $181.6M $6,461 28,114
49 Johnson County $180.5M $7,957 22,680
50 Logan County $175.8M $6,409 27,432
51 Rowan County $173.1M $7,018 24,662
52 Lincoln County $169.9M $6,998 24,275
53 Taylor County $169.1M $6,499 26,023
54 Bourbon County $165.3M $8,164 20,252
55 Russell County $164.8M $9,158 17,991
56 Mercer County $162.0M $7,155 22,641
57 Grant County $162.0M $6,495 24,941
58 Breckinridge County $153.9M $7,531 20,432
59 Wayne County $151.8M $7,760 19,555
60 Mason County $141.3M $8,253 17,120
61 Rockcastle County $137.5M $8,575 16,037
62 Clay County $136.4M $6,705 20,345
63 Allen County $136.1M $6,610 20,588
64 Knott County $128.6M $9,027 14,251
65 Simpson County $126.7M $6,464 19,594
66 Magoffin County $126.2M $10,844 11,637
67 Adair County $126.0M $6,663 18,903
68 Harrison County $125.0M $6,685 18,692
69 Lyon County $123.1M $14,178 8,680
70 Garrard County $122.0M $7,195 16,953
71 Marion County $118.8M $6,066 19,581
72 Breathitt County $117.2M $8,540 13,718
73 Spencer County $117.0M $6,005 19,490
74 Lawrence County $116.2M $7,133 16,293
75 Hart County $113.6M $5,890 19,288
76 Butler County $110.7M $8,950 12,371
77 Union County $106.4M $7,787 13,668
78 Washington County $106.2M $8,830 12,027
79 Henry County $105.5M $6,729 15,678
80 Estill County $102.1M $7,212 14,163
81 Webster County $100.6M $7,729 13,017
82 Fleming County $99.8M $6,617 15,082
83 Casey County $99.3M $6,232 15,941
84 Larue County $99.2M $6,671 14,867
85 Livingston County $98.9M $11,131 8,888
86 Caldwell County $97.3M $7,695 12,649
87 Pendleton County $92.8M $6,334 14,644
88 Todd County $90.1M $7,360 12,243
89 Powell County $89.2M $6,791 13,129
90 Carroll County $88.8M $8,218 10,810
91 Martin County $87.7M $7,774 11,287
92 Jackson County $87.0M $6,717 12,955
93 Morgan County $86.6M $6,309 13,726
94 Edmonson County $84.2M $6,948 12,126
95 Lewis County $80.1M $6,126 13,080
96 Mclean County $78.3M $8,555 9,152
97 Bath County $77.4M $6,067 12,750
98 Green County $75.2M $6,766 11,107
99 Leslie County $73.9M $7,033 10,513
100 Menifee County $70.1M $11,469 6,113
101 Ballard County $69.5M $8,999 7,728
102 Owen County $68.5M $6,071 11,278
103 Hancock County $66.7M $7,333 9,095
104 Monroe County $64.7M $5,709 11,338
105 Metcalfe County $64.1M $6,231 10,286
106 Gallatin County $63.9M $7,351 8,690
107 Crittenden County $63.7M $7,082 8,990
108 Clinton County $63.0M $6,804 9,253
109 Bracken County $59.8M $7,119 8,400
110 Fulton County $58.9M $9,043 6,515
111 Lee County $58.1M $7,856 7,395
112 Cumberland County $56.2M $9,537 5,888
113 Trimble County $55.3M $6,529 8,474
114 Wolfe County $47.8M $7,287 6,562
115 Elliott County $44.7M $6,080 7,354
116 Nicholas County $43.5M $5,767 7,537
117 Hickman County $40.7M $8,996 4,521
118 Carlisle County $37.1M $7,682 4,826
119 Owsley County $27.9M $6,889 4,051
120 Robertson County $14.8M $6,752 2,193
DOGE impact for Kentucky → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Kentucky's $38,460.

Minnesota

$42,425 per capita

$242.1B total

Connecticut

$42,600 per capita

$153.6B total

Guam

$31,490 per capita

$4.8B total

Indiana

$30,517 per capita

$207.1B total

South Carolina

$26,788 per capita

$137.1B total

Compare Kentucky to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($173.3B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Kentucky's $38,460 runs 146.2% above the $15,622 national average (rank #6 of 56).

How many counties in Kentucky receive federal spending?

120 counties in Kentucky receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Jefferson County with $122.1B.

How much federal spending did Kentucky receive in FY2025?

Kentucky received a heavy absolute book of $173.3B in FY2025 ($38,460 per capita; population 4,505,836).

Where does Kentucky rank nationally in federal spending?

Kentucky ranks #6 of 56 on per-capita intensity ($38,460) and #9 on absolute volume ($173.3B) in FY2025.

What is the largest category of federal spending in Kentucky?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 67,579 awards (43.8% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 65,007 awards.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Kentucky?

The top federal agency spending in Kentucky is Department of Health and Human Services with $127.3B. Followed by Social Security Administration ($23.5B) and Department of Defense ($9.7B).

How has federal spending in Kentucky changed over time?

Federal spending in Kentucky increased by 38.5% from FY2020 ($125.1B) to FY2025 ($173.3B).

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

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