PlainSpending

Rhode Island Federal Spending

$15.1B in FY2025 - a thin absolute book (rank #49 of 57).

$15.1B total · $13,799 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #49 total, #27 per capita · 11.8% below national avg

In FY2025, Rhode Island received $15.1B in federal spending - $13,799 per capita, ranking #27 among 57 states and 11.8% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 34.9% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Social Security Administration.

Rhode Island · FY2025

Rhode Island received $15.1B in federal spending in FY2025 - $13,799 per resident, 11.8% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$15.1B
#49 of 57 states
Per resident
$13,799
#27 per capita
Latest annual change
+$651.5M
FY2024 to FY2025 (+4.5%)
Top agency
Social Security Administration
$5.9B

Thin absolute federal book

Rhode Island is a light absolute book: #48 of 56 with $15.1B.

According to USASpending.gov, Rhode Island carried a thin absolute federal book of $15.1B in FY2025 ($13,799 per resident; population 1,097,379). Total-dollar rank #49 is a light absolute footprint; per-capita rank #27 sits 11.8% below the national average.

The award-type mix by count: 5,638 contracts, 3,719 grants, 2,892 loans, and 2,995 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 34.9% of tracked awards in the state, with grants a distant second at 3,719 awards. Social Security Administration is the single largest federal agency operating in Rhode Island, with $5.9B in obligations - more than Department of Health and Human Services's $4.8B.

Over the available history, federal spending in Rhode Island has grown 0.2% from $15.1B in FY2020 to $15.1B in FY2025. Combined with 5 counties receiving dollars and top recipient State of Rhode Island Department of Administration at $2.7B, this snapshot lets readers judge whether Rhode Island'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) Rhode Island 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

$15.1B

Rank #49

Per Capita

$13,799

Rank #27

Population

1,097,379

Contract Awards

5,638

Grant Awards

3,719

Total Federal Spending

$15.1B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$13,799

Rank #27

Counties Receiving

5

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$5.9B

Social Security Administration

Rhode Island award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards34.9%23%18.5%17.9%ContractsGrantsDirect PaymentsLoansOther
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.
Rhode Island per-capita federal spending vs. national average 73.5%
National average

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

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 34.9% of tracked awards in Rhode Island (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 5,638 awards (34.9%)
Grants 3,719 awards (23.0%)
Direct Payments 2,995 awards (18.5%)
Loans 2,892 awards (17.9%)
Other 920 awards (5.7%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric Rhode Island National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $13,799 $15,647 -11.8%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in Rhode Island

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in Rhode Island during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Social Security Administration $5.9B 39.1%
2 Department of Health and Human Services $4.8B 31.8%
3 Department of Transportation $1.1B 7.1%
4 Department of Defense $822.6M 5.4%
5 Department of Veterans Affairs $548.9M 3.6%
6 Department of Housing and Urban Development $505.5M 3.3%
7 Department of Agriculture $456.1M 3.0%
8 Department of Education $349.0M 2.3%
9 Environmental Protection Agency $135.1M 0.9%
10 Department of Energy $92.8M 0.6%

Top Recipients in Rhode Island

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in Rhode Island.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 State of Rhode Island Department of Administration $2.7B
2 Rhode Island Dot $871.5M
3 Rhode Island Department of Human Services $462.6M
4 RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education $227.4M
5 Brown University $210.5M
6 Seacorp, LLC $117.6M
7 University of Rhode Island $105.2M
8 Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority $84.1M
9 Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank $81.9M
10 Human Services RI Department $78.8M
11 State of Rhode Island Department of Health $76.4M
12 Providence Housing Authority $71.2M
13 State of Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources $70.6M
14 Rite-Solutions, INC. $65.9M

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$651.5M (+4.5%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in Rhode Island increased 0.2% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$13B$14B$15B$16B$17B$18B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $15B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $15.1B $13,799 1,097,379
FY2024 $14.5B $13,205 1,097,379
FY2023 $14.0B $12,730 1,097,379
FY2022 $13.8B $12,544 1,097,379
FY2021 $16.8B $15,266 1,097,379
FY2020 $15.1B $13,772 1,097,379

Counties in Rhode Island

5 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Providence County $6.3B $9,494 660,741
2 Kent County $1.7B $10,188 170,363
3 Newport County $1.4B $16,597 85,643
4 Washington County $1.3B $10,139 129,839
5 Bristol County $396.6M $7,807 50,793
DOGE impact for Rhode Island → Per-capita rankings → Understanding federal spending →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to Rhode Island's $13,799.

Vermont

$13,783 per capita

$8.9B total

Oregon

$13,499 per capita

$57.2B total

Nebraska

$14,140 per capita

$27.7B total

Montana

$14,143 per capita

$15.3B total

Alabama

$14,242 per capita

$71.6B total

Compare Rhode Island to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($15.1B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did Rhode Island receive in FY2025?

Rhode Island received a thin absolute book of $15.1B in FY2025 ($13,799 per capita; population 1,097,379).

What is the largest category of federal spending in Rhode Island?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 5,638 awards (34.9% of tracked awards). The second-largest is grants at 3,719 awards.

How has federal spending in Rhode Island changed over time?

Federal spending in Rhode Island increased by 0.2% from FY2020 ($15.1B) to FY2025 ($15.1B).

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

Rhode Island's per capita federal spending of $13,799 is 11.8% below the national average of $15,647. Rhode Island ranks #27 out of 57 states by per capita spending.

Where does Rhode Island rank nationally in federal spending?

Rhode Island ranks #49 out of 57 states in total federal spending and #27 in per capita spending. The state received $15.1B total ($13,799 per person) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in Rhode Island?

The top federal agency spending in Rhode Island is Social Security Administration with $5.9B. Followed by Department of Health and Human Services ($4.8B) and Department of Transportation ($1.1B).

How many counties in Rhode Island receive federal spending?

5 counties in Rhode Island receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Providence County with $6.3B.

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

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