PlainSpending

Montana Federal Spending

$15.3B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #48 of 57).

$15.3B total · $14,143 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #48 total, #25 per capita · 9.6% below national avg

In FY2025, Montana received $15.3B in federal spending - $14,143 per capita, ranking #25 among 57 states and 9.6% below the national average. The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 67.4% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Montana · FY2025

Montana received $15.3B in federal spending in FY2025 - $14,143 per resident, 9.6% below the national average, with direct payments the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$15.3B
#48 of 57 states
Per resident
$14,143
#25 per capita
Latest annual change
+$841.1M
FY2024 to FY2025 (+5.8%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$6.0B

Thin absolute federal book

Montana is a light absolute book: #47 of 56 with $15.3B.

According to USASpending.gov, Montana carried a thin absolute federal book of $15.3B in FY2025 ($14,143 per resident; population 1,084,225). Total-dollar rank #48 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #25 sits 9.6% below the national average.

The award-type mix by count: 10,676 contracts, 5,175 grants, 1,757 loans, and 43,118 direct payments. The most common award type is direct payments at 67.4% of tracked awards in the state, with contracts a distant second at 10,676 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Montana, with $6.0B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $2.8B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Montana has grown 7.5% from $14.3B in FY2020 to $15.3B in FY2025. Combined with 56 counties receiving dollars and top recipient State of Montana Department of Health and Human Services at $2.3B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Montana's federal footprint is expanding, stable, or being scaled back.

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) Montana 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 thin absolute book sits

Total Spending

$15.3B

Rank #48

Per Capita

$14,143

Rank #25

Population

1,084,225

Contract Awards

10,676

Grant Awards

5,175

Total Federal Spending

$15.3B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$14,143

Rank #25

Counties Receiving

56

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$6.0B

Social Security Administration

Montana award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards67.4%16.7%8.1%Direct PaymentsContractsGrantsOtherLoans
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.
Montana per-capita federal spending vs. national average 75.3%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Direct Payments is the most common award type at 67.4% of tracked awards in Montana (by count, not dollar value).

Direct Payments 43,118 awards (67.4%)
Contracts 10,676 awards (16.7%)
Grants 5,175 awards (8.1%)
Other 3,268 awards (5.1%)
Loans 1,757 awards (2.7%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Montana National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $14,143 $15,647 -9.6%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Montana

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Montana during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $6.0B 38.8%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $2.8B 18.6%
3 Department of Agriculture $1.3B 8.2%
4 Department of Transportation $1.0B 6.8%
5 Department of Veterans Affairs $962.1M 6.3%
6 Department of Energy $959.7M 6.3%
7 Department of Defense $522.6M 3.4%
8 Department of the Interior $467.3M 3.0%
9 Department of Education $365.2M 2.4%
10 Environmental Protection Agency $196.0M 1.3%

Top Recipients in Montana

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Montana.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 State of Montana Department of Health and Human Services $2.3B
2 Department of Commerce Montana $793.8M
3 Montana Department of Transportation $756.7M
4 Public Health && Human Services Montana D $249.0M
5 Public Health and Human Services, Montana Department Of $249.0M
6 Public Instruction Montana Office Of $229.8M
7 Montana Department of Environmental Quality $176.9M
8 Archer Western Federal Jv $158.8M
9 Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation $137.1M
10 Montana Renewables LLC $115.1M
11 Montana State University $91.9M
12 Department of Military Affairs Montana $90.7M
13 Fish Wildlife && Parks Montana Department $85.7M
14 University of Montana $82.8M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$841.1M (+5.8%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Montana increased 7.5% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$12B$13B$14B$15B$16B$17B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $15B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $15.3B $14,143 1,084,225
FY2024 $14.5B $13,368 1,084,225
FY2023 $13.5B $12,421 1,084,225
FY2022 $13.3B $12,298 1,084,225
FY2021 $15.7B $14,467 1,084,225
FY2020 $14.3B $13,153 1,084,225

Counties in Montana

56 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Lewis and Clark County $1.7B $24,304 70,973
2 Yellowstone County $1.2B $7,203 164,731
3 Cascade County $1.0B $12,074 84,414
4 Flathead County $955.8M $9,159 104,357
5 Missoula County $900.5M $7,636 117,922
6 Gallatin County $838.7M $7,050 118,960
7 Lake County $518.5M $16,655 31,134
8 Ravalli County $496.6M $11,242 44,174
9 Silver Bow County $367.1M $10,448 35,133
10 Hill County $262.8M $16,115 16,309
11 Lincoln County $247.6M $12,584 19,677
12 Glacier County $166.5M $12,084 13,778
13 Park County $166.2M $9,669 17,191
14 Big Horn County $164.5M $12,537 13,124
15 Sanders County $150.6M $12,143 12,400
16 Fergus County $145.2M $12,682 11,446
17 Roosevelt County $134.4M $12,453 10,794
18 Rosebud County $129.8M $15,581 8,329
19 Blaine County $127.4M $18,084 7,044
20 Jefferson County $116.4M $9,632 12,085
21 Richland County $111.5M $9,702 11,491
22 Beaverhead County $108.8M $11,608 9,371
23 Chouteau County $107.9M $18,301 5,895
24 Carbon County $106.4M $10,164 10,473
25 Stillwater County $103.7M $11,565 8,963
26 Dawson County $99.5M $11,127 8,940
27 Valley County $97.6M $12,875 7,578
28 Mineral County $96.2M $21,214 4,535
29 Deer Lodge County $94.0M $9,976 9,421
30 Custer County $93.7M $7,894 11,867
31 Madison County $84.9M $9,850 8,623
32 Sheridan County $60.8M $17,183 3,539
33 Pondera County $58.8M $9,972 5,898
34 Teton County $57.9M $9,302 6,226
35 Mccone County $54.8M $31,720 1,729
36 Broadwater County $54.2M $8,002 6,774
37 Powell County $50.9M $7,326 6,946
38 Toole County $49.9M $10,033 4,971
39 Phillips County $48.8M $11,578 4,217
40 Musselshell County $47.2M $9,985 4,730
41 Daniels County $45.6M $27,428 1,661
42 Prairie County $35.3M $32,490 1,088
43 Granite County $33.4M $10,087 3,309
44 Liberty County $33.1M $16,872 1,959
45 Garfield County $32.5M $27,730 1,173
46 Sweet Grass County $31.9M $8,669 3,678
47 Carter County $31.8M $22,494 1,415
48 Judith Basin County $26.5M $13,101 2,023
49 Fallon County $23.0M $7,551 3,049
50 Meagher County $22.1M $11,489 1,927
51 Wheatland County $21.0M $10,137 2,069
52 Powder River County $17.8M $10,522 1,694
53 Golden Valley County $9.6M $11,712 823
54 Wibaux County $8.5M $9,110 937
55 Treasure County $7.4M $9,725 762
56 Petroleum County $3.0M $6,020 496
DOGE impact for Montana → Per-capita rankings → Understanding federal spending →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Montana's $14,143.

Nebraska

$14,140 per capita

$27.7B total

Alabama

$14,242 per capita

$71.6B total

Rhode Island

$13,799 per capita

$15.1B total

Vermont

$13,783 per capita

$8.9B total

Massachusetts

$14,689 per capita

$103.3B total

Compare Montana to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($15.3B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Montana receive in FY2025?

Montana received a thin absolute book of $15.3B in FY2025 ($14,143 per capita; population 1,084,225).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Montana?

The most common award type is direct payments, accounting for 43,118 awards (67.4% of tracked awards). The second-largest is contracts at 10,676 awards.

How has federal spending in Montana changed over time?

Federal spending in Montana increased by 7.5% from FY2020 ($14.3B) to FY2025 ($15.3B).

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

Montana's per capita federal spending of $14,143 is 9.6% below the national average of $15,647. Montana ranks #25 out of 57 states by per capita spending.

Where does Montana rank nationally in federal spending?

Montana ranks #48 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #25 in per capita spending. The state received $15.3B total ($14,143 per person) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Montana?

The top federal agency spending in Montana is Social Security Administration with $6.0B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($2.8B) and Department of Agriculture ($1.3B).

How many counties in Montana receive federal spending?

56 counties in Montana receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Lewis and Clark County with $1.7B.

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

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